Erectile function and its impact on quality of life in Japanese men on hemodialysis

The objective of this study was to characterize the erectile function and its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in Japanese men on hemodialysis. This study included 65 consecutive Japanese men <80 years on hemodialysis. Erectile function and HRQOL were evaluated using the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) and the Short-Form 8 (SF-8) survey, respectively. These 65 men were classified into 54 with SHIM ≤11; relatively severe erectile dysfunction (ED) (group A) and 11 with SHIM ≥12; relatively mild ED (group B). There were significant differences in age, marital status, ankle-brachial index (ABI), and serum levels of free testosterone and prolactin between groups A and B. Of several factors examined, age, marital status and ABI were significantly associated with the severity of ED on univariate analysis, and of these 3 factors, only age was significantly associated with severity of ED on multivariate analysis. SF-8 survey revealed that all scale scores in group A were inferior to those in group B. Comparatively severe ED appeared to be frequently observed in Japanese men on hemodialysis, and this trend was marked in elderly men. Furthermore, the severity of ED had a negative impact on the wide range of HRQOL in these men.