The relationship between erectile dysfunction severity, mean platelet volume and vitamin D levels

Area of Science:

• Andrology
• Biochemistry
• Urology

Background:

• Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common condition affecting men's health.
• The relationship between ED severity and specific biomarkers like mean platelet volume (MPV) and vitamin D levels requires further investigation.
• Understanding these associations may offer new insights into ED pathophysiology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between mean platelet volume (MPV) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels in relation to erectile dysfunction (ED) severity.
• To determine if MPV and vitamin D levels differ between patients with mild ED and those with moderate-to-severe ED.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 90 male patients presenting with ED complaints at an andrology outpatient clinic.
• Exclusion of patients with confounding conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, malignancy, late-onset hypogonadism, and smoking.
• Assessment of ED severity using the International Erectile Function Index-Erectile Function (IIEF-EF) questionnaire, categorizing patients into mild (Group 1) and moderate-severe (Group 2) ED.
• Measurement of serum MPV and 25(OH)D levels in all participants.

Main Results:

• Patients with moderate-to-severe ED (Group 2) exhibited significantly lower 25(OH)D levels (13.98 ± 7.10 ng/mL) compared to those with mild ED (Group 1) (18.85 ± 6.09 ng/mL) (p=0.001).
• Conversely, MPV levels were significantly higher in the moderate-to-severe ED group (10.78 ± 1.16) compared to the mild ED group (10.05 ± 0.81) (p=0.001).
• A positive correlation was observed between IIEF-EF scores and 25(OH)D levels (r=0.22, p=0.03), and negative correlations were found between IIEF-EF scores and MPV (p=0.003), and between 25(OH)D levels and MPV (r=-0.23, p=0.04).

Conclusions:

• ED severity is significantly positively correlated with 25(OH)D levels, indicating lower vitamin D in more severe ED.
• ED severity is significantly negatively correlated with MPV levels, suggesting higher MPV in more severe ED.
• These findings highlight the potential role of vitamin D deficiency and elevated MPV as indicators associated with increased erectile dysfunction severity.