MONDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Men who are current smokers are more likely to have experienced erectile dysfunction than non-smoking men, according to an Australian study published online March 23 in Tobacco Control.
Li Ming Wen, M.D., of the Sydney South West Area Health Service in New South Wales, Australia, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional survey of 8,367 men aged 16 to 59. Overall, 27.2 percent of respondents were current smokers and 9.1 percent reported erectile dysfunction that lasted for at least one month over the previous year.
Compared with non-smokers, the adjusted odds ratios for erectile dysfunction were 1.24 for those smoking less than 20 cigarettes per day and 1.39 for those smoking more than 20 cigarettes per day. Older age, a low level of education and taking medications for cardiovascular disease were all associated with erectile dysfunction. On the other hand, moderate alcohol consumption (one to four drinks per day) reduced the likelihood of erectile dysfunction.
"Increasing awareness about the link between smoking and erectile dysfunction in combination with other strategies may increase motivation for more young men to quit smoking," the authors conclude. "Lower levels of smoking would probably result in a reduction of prevalence of erectile dysfunction which affects about one million men in Australia."
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