Current practice and resource utilisation in men diagnosed with premature ejaculation.

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Andrology
• Health Economics

Background:

• Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common male sexual dysfunction.
• Understanding the healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) associated with PE is crucial for healthcare planning and cost-effectiveness analyses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare HCRU in men diagnosed with PE versus age-matched controls without PE.
• To analyze differences in physician encounters, diagnoses, drug therapies, and treatment costs.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of US medical claims data from the PHARMetrics Database.
• Inclusion of 1245 men diagnosed with PE and 3915 age-matched controls.
• Comparison of HCRU metrics including physician visits, diagnoses, prescriptions, and costs.

Main Results:

• Men with PE had twice as many physician encounters pre-diagnosis compared to controls.
• PE patients showed increased use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5is) post-diagnosis.
• Mean yearly diagnosis and prescription costs were significantly higher for PE patients ($1320) than controls ($447) pre-diagnosis.

Conclusions:

• Men with PE consume significantly more medical resources, driven by increased physician visits and prescription drug use.
• Post-PE diagnosis, healthcare costs decreased by 24%, primarily due to fewer physician visits.
• Further research is needed to ascertain if PE is etiologically linked to other diagnoses or if it reflects reporting bias.