Diagnosing erectile dysfunction: flow-chart

Erectile dysfunction (ED) has been defined by the National Institute of Health (NIH) as the inability to achieve and/or maintain an erection for a satisfactory sexual intercourse. Discordant data have been reported on ED epidemiology with prevalence ranging from 12% to 52%. A recent study reported an ED prevalence of 12.8% in Italy. ED is a symptom, sometimes the first, of different internal diseases. ED can mark the point where evaluation and prevention of important diseases (such as diabetes, arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis) hitherto unknown by the patients, can begin. The andrologist's cultural baggage must include the ability to identify the pathology that can determine ED and the capacity to programme a specific diagnostic workup.