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Updated: Jul 31, 2026
06:04
Surgical Treatment for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP).
Published on: March 6, 2018
How can we best characterize the relationship between erectile dysfunction and benign prostatic hyperplasia?
Raymond A Costabile1, William D Steers1
1Urology Department, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
The Journal of Sexual Medicine
|July 15, 2006
Summary
Epidemiological data suggest an association between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and erectile dysfunction (ED), but do not prove a causal link. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship between voiding dysfunction and sexual dysfunction.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Andrology
- Sexual Medicine
Background:
- Epidemiological studies indicate a link between voiding dysfunction and sexual dysfunction.
- Limited basic science and prospective data exist on the relationship between benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)/lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and sexual dysfunction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate the relationship between LUTS and erectile dysfunction (ED).
- To assess the current evidence using criteria for causality.
- To guide future research efforts in this area.
Main Methods:
- Critical evaluation of existing epidemiological data.
- Application of Hill's criteria for causality.
- Analysis of definitions and normative relationships for LUTS and ED.
Main Results:
- Current epidemiological data do not establish a causal relationship between LUTS and ED.
- A less rigorous association between LUTS and ED is suggested by the available data.
Conclusions:
- The relationship between LUTS and ED is not definitively causal based on current evidence.
- Additional research is required to better understand and characterize this association.
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