Abstract
Background: The term "erectile dysfunction" (ED) is defined as the inability to achieve and maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. ED affects millions of men throughout the world, with a strong negative effect on the quality of life and well-being of men and couples. The etiology of ED once was considered to be mainly psychogenic. However, because of advances in the understanding of the physiology of erection and the development of modern diagnostic techniques, it is now generally agreed that the etiology of ED is often multifactorial, with psychological, neurological, endocrine, vascular, traumatic or iatrogenic causes. Objective: Smoking, among many other causes, is believed to be associated with smoking. This study hopes to compare the incidence and extent of erectile dysfunction (ED) among smokers and non-smokers presenting at a male sexual health clinic in an attempt to further understand the association. Methodology: This casual-comparative analysis was conducted upon a total of 64 male patients presenting with erectile dysfunction at a sexual health clinic. Inquiries regarding the habit of smoking were made using a structured interview based questionnaire and extent of erectile dysfunction was investigated using the "International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) Questionnaire". The data obtained was analyzed using MS. Excel 2017 and SPSS v. 21.0. Results: Smokers showed a markedly high incidence when compared to non-smokers. The extent of erectile dysfunction too was observed to be significantly high among smokers in comparison to non-smokers. Ex-smokers too showed a more worrisome IIEF-5 score, when compared to non-smokers. Conclusion: The results obtained, make it abundantly clear that, the association between the incidence and extent of erectile dysfunction and smoking is strong. Although, the research does not attempt to control co-founding variables, the results can be regarded as reliable due to the sheer difference in incidence and extent of erectile dysfunction between smokers and non-smokers.