• Original article (Clinical research) • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Correlation between erectile function and serum testosterone in old and middle-aged males

LIANG Guo-qing1, YU Xiao-hua2*, WU Min3, SHEN Yu-zhong2, LI Jian-hui2, ZHENG Jun-biao2, WANG Jun2, LI Yu-min2, YU Jin-feng2, LI Dong2, LI Zheng3   

  1. 1.Department of Urology, Shanghai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine University, Shanghai 200071, China; 2.Department of Urology, Jiashan No.1 People′s Hospital, Jiashan 314100, China; 3.Department of Urology, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200135, China
  • Online:2014-02-28 Published:2014-03-25
  • Supported by:

    Shanghai Municipal Health Bureau Foundation, 20134392; Major Research Program of Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, 09DJ1400400

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Abstract:

Objective To study the relationship of erectile function (EF) and serum total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), and bioavailable testosterone (Bio-T) of old and middle-aged males. Methods The International Index of Erectile Function questionnaires was used to evaluate 236 people with normal EF, 369 patients with mild erectile dysfunction (ED), and 390 patients with moderate and severe ED. The serum total testosterone (TT) and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were measured by chemilum inescentenzyme immunoassay (CLIA) method, and free testosterone (FT) and bioavailable testosterone (Bio-T) levels were calculated. Results The incidence of ED was 76.28% among old and middle-aged males and increased significantly with the age. The TT levels of ED patients were slightly lower than those of people with normal EF (P>0.05). While FT and Bio-T values were significantly lower than those of people with normal EF (P<0.01). The variations of TT among ED patients with different IIEF scores are not regular, while FT and Bio-T decreased significantly with decreasing of IIEF score. Pearson regression analysis revealed that TT was not related to IIEF score, while FT and Bio-T were significantly related to IIEF score (P<0.01). Conclusion The incidence of ED among old and middle-aged males increases significantly with the age. The TT level is not significantly related to ED, but FT and Bio-T are significantly related to ED. The endocrine diagnostic value of FT and Bio-T is better than TT and can reflect the serum testosterone level of ED patients more accurately.

Key words: old and middle-aged males, erectile function, total testosterone, free testosterone, bioavailable testosterone