The Relationship Between Hematologic Parameters and Erectile Dysfunction

Introduction: Certain hematologic parameters related to blood cells, known as the biomarkers that predict cardiovascular disease, might be potential predictors of erectile dysfunction (ED) due to the shared pathophysiology between ED and cardiovascular disease. Aim: To investigate the relationship between ED and these hematologic parameters and the clinical significance of hematologic parameters for the diagnosis of ED. Methods: A total of 113 male patients diagnosed with ED were included in this study. Blood samples were collected before 10:00 AM for blood cells examination, biochemical tests, and sex hormone analysis. Another 212 healthy controls without ED from the health management center was included as the control group. The relationship between hematologic parameters and ED was assessed by comparing differences in body mass index (BMI), biochemical indexes and hematologic parameters between the 2 groups, and the diagnostic value of hematologic parameters for ED was also examined and compared. Main outcome measures: International Index of Erectile Function, hematologic parameters Results: The neutrophil count (NC), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in ED patients were significantly higher than those in healthy controls, whereas the lymphocyte count (LC) was significantly lower than that in healthy controls. After adjusting for age, BMI, uric acid (UA), fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low -density lipoprotein (LDL), increases in the NC, NLR, and PLR and a decrease in the LC were shown to be independent risk factors for ED. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the NLR exhibited better diagnostic performance for ED than the other parameters. Conclusion: Increases in the NC, NLR, and PLR and a decrease in the LC significantly increased the risk of ED. The NC, LC, NLR and PLR could contribute to the diagnosis and assessment of ED. Copyright (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Automated summary

This study found that increases in neutrophil count (NC), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), as well as a decrease in lymphocyte count (LC), were significantly associated with erectile dysfunction (ED). These hematologic parameters could serve as independent risk factors for ED after adjusting for various factors. Among them, NLR exhibited better diagnostic performance for ED compared to other parameters.