Article Keywords Erectile dysfunction Primary care Dr Asnida Anjang Ab Rahman, MD, MPH (Family Health) Dept of Social & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Postal address: 59, Lorong Pending 1C, Bandar Puteri, 41200 Klang, Malaysia Tel.: 6-03-88832143; Fax: 6-03-88832210; Mobile: 60122042976. E-mail address: asnida_anjang@yahoo.com.my, dr.asnida@moh.gov.my (A. Anjang Ab Rahman). Nabilla Al-Sadat Dept of Social & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Wah Yun Low Medical Education & Research Development Unit (MERDU), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Prevalence of erectile dysfunction in primary care setting, Malaysia Asnida Anjang Ab Rahman, Nabilla Al-Sadat and Wah Yun Low Abstract Background: The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence and associated factors of erectile dysfunction (ED) among men who frequentedpublic primary care clinics in an urban district in Malaysia. Methods: A total of 1331 men aged 40–76 years participated in this cross-sectional study. Information on demographic information, medical history and lifestyle factors were obtained through self administered questionnaire. ED was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). Results: The participants’ age ranged from 40–79 years with a mean of 54.7 (±8.3) years. The prevalence of ED was 69.5%. In terms of severity, 33.1% had mild, 26.6% moderate and 9.8% severe ED. The participants with increased age had reportedly higher prevalence of ED. The prevalence of ED increased from 49.7% of men in their 40s to 66.5%, 92.8% and 93.9% of men in their 50s, 60s and 70s respectively. The prevalence of moderate and severe ED also increased with age. The prevalence of severe ED was only 2.1% of men in their 40s and rose to 22.4% of men aged more than 60 years. The prevalence of ED among those with diabetics or heart disease was the highest (89.2%) followed by hypertensives (80.4%) and hypercholesterolaemia (78.9%). Men in their 50s (OR = 2.0) and 60s (OR = 13.5) had higher odds in ED. Conclusions: This study found that ED was common among men aged 40 years and above at the primary care setting. The prevalence and severity of ED increased with age. © 2011 WPMH GmbH. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Erectile dysfunction (ED) is affecting millions of men, particularly their quality of life. However, studies have shown that it is under reported and under treated [1]. Many population based prevalence studies have been conducted on ED throughout the world [2,3] including Malaysia [4]. Mostly, the primary care doctors are the first health care provider with whom patient can discuss about ED. However, the prevalence of ED among patients visiting out-patients clinic in Malaysia is yet to be fully investigated. We conducted a cross-sectional clinic based study to find out the prevalence of ED in Malaysian men aged 40 and above. In addition, we attempted to identify the demographic, medical and other risk factors for ED. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in all five government primary care clinics in Petaling, an urban district in Selangor state. The study population consisted of all men aged 40 years and above who attended to the clinic. The participants were selected with convenience sampling procedure. Written informed consent was obtained from the participants. The data were collected at the clinic with a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire had the following domains: demographic data, medical history (self report), lifestyle exposure, erectile function and simple physical examination findings. The blood pressure, height and weight were measured as soon as the participants filled in the questionnaire. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated dividing height (m) 2 by weight (kg). Erectile function ED was assessed using the abridged five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). The scores from the IIEF-5 were categorized into normal (> 21), mild ED (16–21), moderate ED (11–15) and severe ED (< 11). Analysis Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16. The prevalence of ED was calculated by dividing the number of cases by the corresponding population. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with ED. Results Response rate A total of 1688 eligible patients were invited to participate in the study. Of these, 1435 agreed to participate, yielding a response rate of 85%. Eighty six participants who were not sexually S50 jmh Vol. 8, Suppl. 1, S50–S53, April 2011 © 2011 WPMH GmbH. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.