Erectile dysfunction affects work too: Men who struggle with impotence are twice as likely to be less productive in the office, study finds
- Researchers surveyed 52,000 men between ages 40 and 70 from 8 countries
- About 25% of men with erectile dysfunction (ED) suffered from poor work productivity compared to 11% of men without ED
- Men with ED were also two times more likely to stay home from work and to work while sick
Men with erectile dysfunction (ED) are more likely to be less productive at work, a new study finds.
Researchers say that men who suffer from impotence were more than twice as likely to have lower work productivity than men who don’t suffer from the condition.
They were also more likely to stay home from work, work while sick and have a lower health-related quality of life.
‘This study shows that ED remains a prevalent concern, one that impacts work productivity and absenteeism,’ said co-author Dr Wing Yu Tang, a director at the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which led the study.
A new study from Pfizer, Inc found that about 25 percent of men with erectile dysfunction were likely to be less productive at work in comparison with 11 percent of men without the condition (file image)
ED occurs when a man has trouble getting and keeping an erection firm enough to have sexual intercourse.
The condition can be brought on by stress, depression, limited blood flow to the penis, or as a side effect of serious illnesses such as heart disease or high blood pressure.
A study published in BJU International earlier month found that men with ED have a higher of being diagnosed with conditions including cardiovascular disease and dementia.
ED becomes more prevalent with age, with about 40 percent of men affected at age 40 and roughly 70 percent of men affected at age 70, according to the 1994 Massachusetts Male Aging Study.
Treatments include lifestyle changes such as losing weight or stopping smoking, counseling, or taking drugs such as Viagra and Cialis.
For the new study, published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, the team surveyed 52,000 males from eight countries: Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US.
The men, who ranged between ages 40 and 70, were asked if they suffered from ED and about their work habits.
Nearly half the group – 49.7 percent – reported being diagnosed with ED, with the highest rate coming from Italy at 54.7 percent.
Researchers found that about 25 percent of men with ED suffered from poor work productivity compared to 11 percent of men without ED.
These men were also more than twice as likely to stay home from work and to work while sick.
The team also found that the impotent men had lower measures of health-related quality of life, but didn’t elaborate on what this meant.
‘Stemming from eight countries, the global coverage of the data also suggests that this issue is pervasive across geographies,’ said senior author Tarek Hassan, the regional medical director at Pfizer.