Objective: This study aimed to compare motor, non-motor, and social aspects of men with PD who have and do not have ED.

Background: Sexual dysfunction is a common non-motor symptom experienced by individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Erectile dysfunction (ED) may reduce the quality of life of people with PD. However, there has been limited research on the factors associated with ED in men with PD.

Method: We conducted a remote cross-sectional study of 87 men in stages H&Y 1-3, with a mean age of 53.84 (SD=10.7). Our study entailed collecting data for each participant using various tests and scales, such as socio-economic condition (SEC), Levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD), Telephone – Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA), Movement Disorder Society – Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS, Part I and II), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS), Rosenberg Self-esteem (RSES), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), couple relationship quality by Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), and International Index of Erectile Function (IIFE).The participants were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of erectile dysfunction (EDG and nEDG, respectively). The division was made using the erectile function domain on the IIFE, with a score of <26 indicating some degree of ED and a score of >26 with ED. We used the Mann-Whitney U Test with correction for multiple comparisons to compare the two groups. We considered p-values below 5% to be statistically significant.

Results: The study results indicate that there were statistically significant differences in cognition (p<.005), non-motor disability level (p<.004), self-esteem (p<.04), depressive signals (p<.008), age (p<.01), motor disability level (p<.00008), fatigue (p<.01), and sleep quality (p<.002) between the EDG and nEDG groups. However, there were no significant differences between the groups for SEC, LEDD, disease duration, H&Y, and DAS.

Conclusion: The study found that men with PD who reported ED were older and had decreased cognitive capacity, self-esteem, and sleep quality, and increased motor and non-motor disability, fatigue, and depression compared to men with PD without ED. These results confirm that several factors may affect sexual function and highlight the importance of a multi-professional team to provide proper care for men reporting ED.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/comparison-of-motor-non-motor-social-aspects-between-men-with-parkinsons-disease-with-and-without-erectile-dysfunction/