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Latent tuberculosis infection among patients with erectile dysfunction

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 30, pages 36–42 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

No previous studies have investigated the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) or its contribution to the development of high-grade ED through a process of chronic inflammation-induced atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of LTBI among patients with erectile dysfunction and to explore the contribution of LTBI to high-grade ED. For all the study sample, clinical evaluation, imaging studies, and laboratory investigations were provided. Evaluation included, but was not confined to, scrotal ultrasonography, tuberculin skin test, and QuantiFERON-TB Gold test. The study sample mean ± SD age was 47.9 ± 13.6 years. Approximately 30% of the patients had LTBI and 43% had high-grade ED. After a multivariate analysis, it was found that older age (≥40 years) (OR, 5.2; 95% CI, 1.9–54.6; p 0.004), metabolic syndrome (MS) (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.3–48.2; p 0.016), and LTBI (OR, 4.1; 95% CI, 1.7–61.3; p 0.021) were significantly, independently associated with high-grade ED as opposed to low-grade ED. In conclusion, the prevalence of LTBI among patients with high-grade ED is higher than among those with low-grade ED. In addition to LTBI, older age and MS are associated with high-grade ED as opposed to low-grade ED.

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Author contributions

A.F.A.H.: Concepts, design, definition of intellectual content, literature search, clinical studies, data acquisition, data analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and guarantor. A.M.A.M. and A.S.S.: Literature search, clinical studies, data acquisition, and manuscript review. A.M.A.N.: Definition of intellectual content, experimental studies, data acquisition, and manuscript editing. A.A.H.Z.: literature search, clinical studies, data acquisition, data analysis, and manuscript editing. S.M.A.-A.: Data acquisition. S.M.B.: Experimental studies, data acquisition, and manuscript review. A.E.I.A.: Statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and manuscript review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Tropical Medicine and Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Asyut, Egypt

    Ahmad F. A. Hasanain

  2. Department of Dermatology and Andrology (Andrology Unit), Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Asyut, Egypt

    Ali M. A. Mahran

  3. Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Asyut, Egypt

    Ahmed S. Safwat & Ahmad Elbadry I. Abonnoor

  4. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Asyut, Egypt

    Amany M. A. Nafee

  5. Department of Chest Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Asyut, Egypt

    Ali A. H. Zayed

  6. Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Asyut, Egypt

    Sherif M. Abdel-Aal

  7. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Asyut, Egypt

    Sally M. Bakkar

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  1. Ahmad F. A. Hasanain
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Correspondence to Ahmad F. A. Hasanain.

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Hasanain, A.F.A., Mahran, A.M.A., Safwat, A.S. et al. Latent tuberculosis infection among patients with erectile dysfunction. Int J Impot Res 30, 36–42 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-017-0004-4

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