Prevalence and correlates of erectile dysfunction in Salvador, northeastern Brazil: a population-based study

Our objectives were to determine the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) in Brazil and to explore potential sociodemographic, medical, and lifestyle correlates. A cross-sectional, populationbased, household survey was conducted in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Cluster samples of representative households were randomly selected for interviews. Of 654 eligible subjects, 602 (92%) participated. A structured questionnaire was administered by trained interviewers. ED was categorized as ‘none’, ‘mild’, ‘moderate’, or ‘severe’ according to the ability to ‘attain and=or maintain an erection satisfactory for sexual intercourse’. All data were obtained by self-report. The age-adjusted prevalence of ED was 39.5% (minimal 25.1%, moderate 13.1%, severe 1.3%). Prevalence and severity increased with age. Having never been married, diabetes, depression, or prostate disease and current depressive or lower urinary tract symptoms were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with increased prevalence. Medical, sociodemographic, and lifestyle variables associated with ED may alert physicians to patients at risk for ED and offer insight to its etiology. International Journal of Impotence Research (2002) 14, Suppl 2, S3–S9. doi:10.1038=sj.ijir.3900892