Impotence and its medical and psychosocial correlates: results of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional community-based observational survey
PubMed 8254833 · doi:10.1016/s0022-5347(17)34871-1
What was done
The Massachusetts Male Aging Study surveyed a community-based random sample of noninstitutionalized men aged 40 to 70 years in cities and towns near Boston between 1987 and 1989. Trained interviewers conducted home visits to gather blood samples, physiological metrics, socio-demographic variables, psychological indexes, health status, medication usage, smoking history, and lifestyle factors. Erectile potency was assessed using a self-administered sexual activity questionnaire.
What was found
The combined prevalence of minimal, moderate, and complete impotence was 52%. Complete impotence tripled from 5% at age 40 to 15% at age 70, with subject age being the variable most strongly associated with erectile dysfunction. After age adjustment, higher rates of impotence were directly correlated with heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, related medications, and indexes of anger and depression. Impotence was inversely correlated with serum dehydroepiandrosterone, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and a dominant personality index. Cigarette smoking was associated with a higher likelihood of complete impotence specifically among men with heart disease and hypertension.
Why it matters
This landmark study establishes baseline population prevalence for erectile dysfunction and links it directly to cardiovascular disease risk factors and modifiable physiological and psychological traits rather than chronological age alone.
Limits
The abstract does not report the total sample size (n). The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality, erectile function was assessed via self-report questionnaire, and the geographic sample was limited to the Boston area.
Cited by
- partial Above age 50, 52% of men experience erectile dysfunction, and prevalence increases by about 10% each subsequent decade.