Analysis of orthostatic intolerance symptoms in patients with premature ejaculation

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays an important role in maintaining physiological regulation. It regulates the body's response to many variable situations. Orthostatic intolerance (OI) is one of the most important signs of autonomic dysfunction. Autonomic dysfunction is known to cause premature ejaculation (PE) by disturbing the balance in erection and ejaculation cycles. Considering that OI may develop due to autonomic dysfunction in patients with PE, we hypothesized that OI symptoms would increase in these patients. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between orthostatic intolerance and PE.

This case-control study included a total of 39 patients with PE and 47 volunteers without PE. All subjects were assessed using the self-reported Orthostatic Grading Scale (OGS). In addition, the validated five-item Turkish version of the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) was used to evaluate PE. The PE group included patients with a PEDT score ≥ 11.

The mean ages of the PE and control groups were 38.2 ± 7.8 and 40.5 ± 9.1 years, respectively (p = 0.137). The mean PEDT scores of the PE and control groups were 13.9 ± 3.6 and 6.6 ± 2.9, respectively (p < 0.0001), and their mean OGS scores were 5.6 ± 2.4 and 1.6 ± 1.3, respectively (p < 0.0001). A statistically significant correlation was found between the PEDT and OGS scores (r: 0.686, p < 0.0001).

The orthostatic intolerance symptoms of patients with PE were higher than those of the control group. There was a correlation between the severity of PE and the severity of orthostatic intolerance. This is the first study in the literature to reveal a relationship between orthostatic intolerance and PE.