Erectile Dysfunction Linked to High Uric Acid

Elevated serum uric acid levels may be a marker for an increased risk of erectile dysfunction (ED), Iranian researchers reported at the American Urological Association 2011 annual meeting.

Gholamreza Pourmand, MD, and colleagues at Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, studied 251 men with newly diagnosed ED and 252 age-matched controls without ED. The investigators evaluated serum uric acid level and distribution of potential ED risk factors, such as smoking, age, lipid profile, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Serum uric acid levels were divided into tertiles. They used the five-item International Index of Erectile Function tool to evaluate the presence and severity of ED.

The mean serum uric acid level in men with ED was 6.12 mg/dL, which was significantly higher the 4.97 mg/dL level found in the men without ED. After adjusting for major confounders, men in the highest tertile of serum uric acid level had a nearly sixfold increased risk of ED compared with men in the lowest tertile. Each 1 mg/dL increment in serum uric acid level was associated with a twofold increased risk of ED, according to data presented in a poster presentation.

“Hyperuricemia could be regarded as an independent risk factor for ED in addition to the established ones,” the researchers concluded.