Association of Sexual Dysfunction With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms of BPH and BPH Medical Therapies: Results From the BPH Registry

ObjectivesThe severity of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) has correlated with erectile dysfunction (ED) and ejaculatory dysfunction (EjD) in large-scale epidemiologic studies. ED and EjD are also side effects of some medical therapies for LUTS suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (LUTS/BPH). These relationships were examined in a physician office-based population of men enrolled in the BPH Registry.MethodsEnrolled men with LUTS/BPH who completed the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), IPSS bother question, 5-item International Index of Erectile Function, and the 3 ejaculatory function items of the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire-EjD short form at baseline were eligible. The relationship between sexual dysfunction and LUTS/BPH and BPH medical therapies were examined using multivariate analyses.ResultsOf 6924 men enrolled, 5042 (mean age 65 years) completed all 4 baseline assessments. Of 3084 sexually active men, age, total IPSS, IPSS bother score, hypertension, diabetes, and black race/ethnicity were independent predictors of both ED and EjD (all P < .05). For the subset of 1362 men receiving BPH medical therapy, a significant association (P < .0001) was demonstrated for ED and EjD with specific BPH medical therapies. The α1A-subtype nonsuperselective quinazoline α1-blockers alfuzosin, doxazosin, and terazosin appeared to be associated with better ejaculatory function than were the α1A-subtype superselective sulfonamide α1-blocker tamsulosin, 5α-reductase inhibitors, and α1-blocker plus 5α-reductase inhibitor combination therapy.ConclusionsThese results have provided additional evidence of the link between LUTS/BPH and sexual dysfunction in aging men and support clinical trial results indicating different rates of sexual side effects for BPH medical therapies.