Is mild erectile dysfunction associated with severe psychological symptoms in Chinese patients with moderate-to-severe chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome?

This study aimed to assess the association between psychological disorders and erectile dysfunction(ED)in patients with different degrees of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome(CP/CPPS).This was a retrospective study conducted from June 2017 to October 2019 and included 182 outpatients.Patients were interviewed using the Structured Interview on Erectile Dysfunction(SIEDY)for pathogenic quantification.The National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index(NIH-CPSI)and the International Index of Erectile Function-5(IIEF-5)were used for the evaluation of CP/CPPS and ED.The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7(GAD-7)and Patient Health Questionnaire-9(PHQ-9)were used to assess anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms.The number of patients with mild CP/CPPS and mild ED,mild CP/CPPS and moderate-to-severe ED,moderate-to-severe CP/CPPS and mild ED,and moderate-to-severe CP/CPPS and moderate-to-severe ED was 69(37.9%),36(19.8%),35(19.2%),and 42(23.1%),respectively.The corresponding PHQ-9 scores of the four groups were 6.22,7.19,10.69,and 7.71,respectively.The corresponding GAD-7 scores of the four groups were 5.26,6.31,8.77,and 6.36,respectively.Among patients with moderate-to-severe CP/CPPS,the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores of the moderate-to-severe ED group were significantly lower than those of the mild ED group(P=0.007 and P=0.010,respectively).The prevalence of ED and premature ejaculation(PE)in patients with moderate-to-severe CP/CPPS was significantly higher than that in patients with mild CP/CPPS(P=0.001 and P=0.024,respectively).Our findings proved that the severity of ED was negatively associated with psychological symptoms in outpatients with moderate-to-severe CP/CPPS.