Eczema tied to higher impotence risk
February 8, 2012
Amy Norton
REUTERS NEWS AGENCY
NEW YORK — Men who have the allergic skin condition eczema may have a higher risk of erectile dysfunction than other men, a new study finds.
The study, of nearly 4,000 Taiwanese men with erectile dysfunction, hints at a connection between eczema and impotence.
And the researchers suggest that doctors “be more attentive to sexual complaints” from men with eczema — known medically as atopic dermatitis.
But an allergy expert not involved in the study said that while the findings are “interesting,” there are too many limitations to know whether eczema actually raises the risk of erectile dysfunction.
“More studies are needed to confirm that atopic dermatitis alone may be a cause of ED (erectile dysfunction),” Dr. Donald Leung, an allergist/immunologist at National Jewish Health in Denver, told Reuters.
It’s well known that some chronic diseases, like heart disease and diabetes, are connected to a higher erectile dysfunction risk. That’s thought to be related to dysfunction in the blood vessels and nerves.
And some past studies have found that men with certain inflammatory skin conditions, like psoriasis, have a higher rate of erectile dysfunction than other men.
So for the new study, Dr. Shiu-Dong Chung and colleagues at Taipei Medical University looked at whether there might be a link between eczema and erectile dysfunction.
The researchers combed through insurance claims data on 3,997 men with newly diagnosed erectile dysfunction, and compared them with nearly 20,000 men the same age with no known history of erectile dysfunction.
Chung’s team found that almost 11 per cent of men with erectile dysfunction had had eczema before the impotence diagnosis. By comparison, just under seven per cent of men without erectile dysfunction had a history of eczema.
After the researchers weighed other factors — including health problems like diabetes and heart disease — they found that men with ED were 60 per cent more likely to have a history of eczema than were men without sexual problems.
The findings appear in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Exactly what they mean is unclear.
One question is why skin diseases like psoriasis or eczema would be linked to erectile dysfunction. It’s possible, according to Chung’s team, that the underlying inflammation of the diseases — which may affect not only the skin, but also blood vessels — is to blame.
But the study had a number of limitations, Leung pointed out.
One is that it relied on administrative claims, which may not be accurate. And it’s not clear whether the men had eczema at the time of the erectile dysfunction diagnosis, or at some point years earlier, Leung said.
And the researchers themselves acknowledge that they had no information on men’s lifestyle habits or family history. Some of those factors might help account for the connection between eczema and erectile dysfunction.
Leung also noted that any chronic health condition could potentially create “emotional stress” for a couple.
“Future studies are recommended,” Chung’s team writes, “both to replicate the results seen here and to clarify the mechanisms behind them.”
Still, the researchers suggest that doctors ask men with eczema about their sexual function, as part of “routine holistic care.”
Leung had a similar conclusion. “In any case,” he said, “it is reasonable to conclude from this study that atopic dermatitis patients complaining of erectile dysfunction should be heeded.”
None of the researchers on the work reports any financial conflicts of interest.
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