The incidence of sexual dysfunction in patients suffering from Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) -- or enlarged prostate -- is nearly twice as high as treating physicians believe shows a new survey from the American Foundation for Urologic Diseases (AFUD) presented today at the American Urological Association annual meeting.
Given that certain treatments can cause or worsen sexual dysfunction, including Erectile Dysfunction (ED) and Ejaculatory Dysfunction (EjD), the study authors encourage broader educational initiatives about the prevalence, impact and management of BPH- and treatment-related sexual side effects to ensure that patients' sexual health concerns are adequately addressed.
"The findings underscore a critical disparity between the incidence of sexual dysfunction in BPH patients and the perception of the medical community regarding its importance," says Allen Seftel, MD, Professor of Urology & Reproductive Biology, Case-Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH.
"Sexual dysfunction resulting from enlarged prostate or its treatment can negatively impact a patient's quality-of-life, self-esteem and relationships, so it's important that these concerns not be underestimated(3)."
Discounting Sexual Dysfunction in BPH In the survey of 1,275 urologists and primary-care physicians (PCPs), respondents indicated that they believed that approximately 25% of patients experienced sexual dysfunction, while MSAM-7, a major epidemiological study of nearly 14,000 men published in 2003, places the incidence at 50% -- twice as high as physician perception. Surprisingly, urologists, who were shown by the survey to treat BPH twice as frequently as PCPs, were more likely to underestimate the incidence of sexual dysfunction associated with BPH (19% of their patient population for urologists vs. 27% for PCPs) or BPH medication (19% for urologists vs. 24% for PCPs).
However, urologists were more cognizant that certain treatments cause particular sexual side effects. Urologists estimated that 28% of patients using some alpha-blockers -- which work by relaxing the muscles in and around the prostate -- experienced difficulties with ejaculation versus 16% of patients using 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) -- which work by shrinking the prostate.