Sexual symptoms in aging men indicate poor life satisfaction and increased health service consumption

The deterioration of sexual, physical, and mental performance in aging men has been used to measure the clinical manifestations of androgen decrement. However, their prevalence and relation to coexisting morbidities are unknown.

All men in Turku, Finland, aged 40 to 69 years (n = 28,622) in 2000 were mailed a questionnaire that included questions on general health, sociobehavioral factors, and the Aging Male Symptoms scale (17 questions, each yielded 1 to 5 points, from 1, no symptoms to 5, very severe).

The participation rate was 54% (15,496 returned questionnaires). Moderate or severe sexual symptoms (decreased frequency of erections, libido, and potency) were observed in 20% of men of the youngest age group of 40 to 44 years. The proportion of men with significant symptoms increased linearly with age up to 67% in the oldest age group (65 to 69 years). Other symptoms did not show a similar age trend. On multifactor analysis, sexual symptoms were independently associated with decreased life satisfaction and increased visits to the physician after adjustment for coexisting morbidities. Visits to the physician were up to three times more frequent among men with moderate to severe sexual symptoms than among those with mild or no symptoms.

Sexual symptoms in aging men are common and associated with decreased life satisfaction and an increased number of visits to the physician. These symptoms deserve more attention in the workup of aging male patients, because they offer a simple screening tool to detect impaired well-being associated with increased consumption of health services.