The Triglyceride and Glucose Index is Associated with the Severity of Erectile Dysfunction

Insulin resistance resulting in endothelial dysfunction is related to erectile dysfunction. The triglyceride and glucose index is a low-cost, practical, and easily accessible parameter for determining insulin resistance. We aimed to reveal the relationship between the triglyceride and glucose index and the severity of erectile dysfunction.

Medical records of 974 patients admitted to our clinic complaining of erectile dysfunction between January 2021 and June 2023 were scanned retrospectively from the database programme. According to the scores obtained from the simplified 5-item International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire, patients were classified into four groups: Group 1 (patients with severe erectile dysfunction), group 2 (patients with moderate erectile dysfunction), group 3 (patients with mild-to-moderate erectile dysfunction), and group 4 (patients with mild erectile dysfunction). We compared the fasting serum glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol levels, and triglyceride and glucose indices (formula 1: Ln[fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)]/2), and formula 2: Ln[fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)/2]) of the patients in the groups.

No statistically significant differences in the mean age and serum total testosterone levels existed amongst the four groups (p = 0.695 and 0.074, respectively). A statistically significant difference was found in fasting serum glucose, triglyceride, and total cholesterol levels amongst the groups (p < 0.001). Significant negative correlations were found between the simplified 5-item International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire score and fasting serum glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, and triglyceride and glucose index (all p values < 0.001). The triglyceride and glucose index level was related to the risk of severe erectile dysfunction. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the cutoff values were 5.05 for the triglyceride and glucose index by formula 1 and 9.43 for the triglyceride and glucose index by formula 2 in predicting severe erectile dysfunction.

The triglyceride and glucose index may be associated with erectile dysfunction and also its severity.