Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the existence of erectile dysfunction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in which the other possible causes of erectile dysfunction were eliminated.

Material and Methods: The study group consisted of 24 patients diagnosed as OSAS with polysomnographic evaluation, and 15 non-apneic controls (mean age; 41.0±8.8 and 42.3±7.9 year respectively) whose comorbidities which might be associated with erectile dysfunction were excluded. Daytime sleepiness was evaluated by Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and measurement of erectile function was performed by International Index of Erectile Function.

Results: The rate of erectile dysfunction in OSAS and control groups were 54.2% and 33.3% respectively (p=0.204). The difference between mean erectile function scores of patient and control groups was non-significant (26.1±4.5 and 26.3±4.3 respectively, p=0.900). There was no correlation between erectile function scores and apnea hypnoea index (r=-0.140; p=0.395).

Conclusion: Findings obtained from this study suggest that the high incidence of erectile dysfunction reported in OSAS patients seems to be related with concomitant comorbidities such as diabetes, atherosclerosis and neuroendocrine disorders rather than sleep apnea.