Erectile Dysfunction: Small Symptoms, Big Consequences

Like many other gatherings at the forefront of medicine, ENDO 2020, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, gave way to a virulent microbe. Traditionally, posters outlining various groups' research studies dominate this meeting. Those in attendance wander among the posters and glance at the titles, and when one catches the viewer's attention, there is usually a person who will happily guide the viewer through the protocol and results. This interaction won't occur this year, but many of the research summaries have been made available.

One study that has received some publicity originated in Belgium. It is a component of a survey of 1913 men from the European Male Ageing Study who had been assessed clinically from 2003 to 2005. In the subsequent 15 years, 25% of the men at sites that kept ongoing survival data died. On review of premorbid data, impairment of sexual function — either by laboratory or by symptoms — seemed to predict reduced longevity.

Doctors like to be able to predict the future. In the short term, for individuals, we do pretty well. With COVID-19, for example, we can quickly assess who can be sent home from the emergency department with reassurance and instructions to quarantine after what is often a brief encounter.