Abstract
Objective This study is aimed at assessing association between frailty and erectile dysfunction among Chinese elderly men. Methods This community-based study was conducted with a sample of 341 Chinese elderly men (aged 60 to 83 years old) in Fuyang City (Anhui Province, China). Each of the participants completed a standard questionnaire, including demographics (age, height, weight, yearly income, educational status, comorbidity, lifestyle factors, etc.), medical and sexual history, and the Chinese version of Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) and International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) for assessing frailty and erectile dysfunction (ED). Results The prevalence of ED and frailty in Chinese elderly men was 77.13% and 68.04%, respectively. Compared with the non-ED group, the ED group had increased age, spouse's age, BMI, prevalence of diabetes, and scores of TFI and lower yearly income, educational levels, and ratio of irregular intercourse (less than once per week) (all P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that age (OR: 0.860, 95% CI: 0.763-0.969), diabetes (OR: 0.330, 95% CI: 0.165-0.661), irregular intercourse (OR: 3.416, 95% CI: 1.874-6.229), and scores of TFI (OR: 0.906, 95% CI: 0.846-0.970) were regarded as independent risk factors for ED (all P < 0.05). And after adjusting for age, the TFI score had a negative significant association with the IIEF score (r = −0.134, P = 0.013). Conclusion This study confirmed the strong associations between ED and frailty among elderly men. Sexual health care for elderly men with ED should be assessed and taken addressed on the multidimensional assessments of frailty.
Highlights
The aging of the global population is accelerating, and the percentage of people aged 60 and over is increasing every year
Each participant who agreed to participate in this study would be guided by a specialized nurse into another consulting room to complete a written questionnaire, including the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI), medical and sexual histories, and conditions and demographic characteristics of spouses
In regard to the difference in the prevalence of comorbidities between the two groups, the results showed that the erectile dysfunction (ED) group was more likely to suffer from diabetes (P < 0:05), and no significant difference was found in the prevalence of hypertension (P > 0:05)
Summary
The aging of the global population is accelerating, and the percentage of people aged 60 and over is increasing every year. Japan and Europe have the highest percentage of population aged 60 and over. From 2009 to 2019, the percentage of aging people in China increased from 12.5% to 18.1% and will exceed 30% in 2050 [1]. The whole of society has faced great challenges taken by these demographic changes. Over the past few decades, we have made great success in improving the overall health and quality of life of elderly men [2,3,4]. As an important component of overall health, sexual health and sexual satisfaction have been seriously neglected, which can strongly decline the well-being of life among the aging population
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