Metabolic Syndrome Does Not Increase the Risk of Ejaculatory Dysfunction in Patients With Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and Benign Prostatic Enlargement: An Italian Single-center Cohort Study

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and ejaculatory dysfunction (EjD) in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms and benign prostatic enlargement.

Materials and methods: From 2012 to 2016, a consecutive series of men with lower urinary tract symptoms and benign prostatic enlargement who were attending our prostate clinic were evaluated using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and were subsequently enrolled into a prospective database. All patients were assessed using the short form of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-SF) and the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire ejaculatory dysfunction short form (MSHQ-EjD-SF) that evaluates the ability to ejaculate, the ejaculation force, the ejaculation volume, and subjective bother associated with EjD. MetS was defined according to the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria.

Results: A total of 220 patients were enrolled; 48 of 220 patients (22%) presented a MetS. Mean age was 70 ± 8 years, mean IPSS was 8.3 ± 6.2, mean IIEF score was 17.3 ± 7.9, and mean MSHQ-EjD-SF was 9.9 ± 4.7. Overall, 109 of 220 patients (50%) were affected by a moderate or severe EjD. On multivariate analysis, age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.058, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.016-1.123; P = .007), IIEF score (OR: 0.899, 95% CI: 0.856-0.943; P = .000), and IPSS (OR: 1.065, 95% CI: 1.011-1.123; P = .018) were found to be predictors of EjD. In our series MetS was not found to be predictive of EjD.

Conclusion: In our single-center study, MetS has no influence on the EjD evaluated with the MSHQ-EjD-SF.