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The Effect of Prolactin on Sexual Dysfunction in Uremic Men

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Abstract

Sexual dysfunction (SD) and hyperprolactinemia are more prevalent in uremic men than in the general population. The aim of this study was to quantify the extent and degree of severity of both SD and hyperprolactinemia, and to investigate whether these two conditions are associated in a population of uremic men with CKD 3b-5d. In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled men aged 20–70 years with a creatinine clearance < 40 ml/min (non-dialysis-dependent patients (NDP)) or time on dialysis > 3 months (dialysis-dependent patients (DP)). Blood samples and a questionnaire including a Danish version of The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) were analyzed. Clinical information and medications were obtained from patient records. Seventy-seven patients (47 NDP and 30 DP) were enrolled in the study. Of these, 71% reported that they had sexual problems (NDP 62% and DP 87%, p=0.02). Erectile dysfunction was found in 87% (NDP 80% and DP 100%, p=0.04). Nocturnal erection was found in 32% (NDP 36% and DP 27%, p=0.42). Diminished frequency of sexual desire was found in 73% (NDP 67% and DP 83%, p=0.11). Low level of sexual desire was found in 72% (NDP 71% and DP 73%, p=0.83). Hyperprolactinemia was found in 21% (NDP 13% and DP 33%, p=0.03). Erectile dysfunction was significantly associated with prolactin (p=0.007). The prevalences for SD and hyperprolactinemia are high in uremic men, especially among dialysis patients. We have shown a significant correlation between erectile dysfunction and prolactin in a Danish population of uremic men.

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Availability of data and material

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Frost and M. Bjerregaard-Andersen for their support in using STATA for data management.

Funding

We thank the Research Council of Hospital Lillebaelt for funding this study (grant number 140-08/1-12-32).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Department, Randers Regional Hospital, Regionshospitalet Randers, Skovlyvej 15, 8930, Randers, Denmark

    Ann Helen Madsen

  2. Medical Department, Hospital Lillebaelt, Sygehusvej 24, 6000, Kolding, Denmark

    Rikke Juul-Sandberg, Gudrun Kjær Steffensen & Ellen Grodum

  3. Department of Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Kløvervænget 6, 5000, Odense, Denmark

    Karoline Schousboe

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  1. Ann Helen Madsen
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  2. Rikke Juul-Sandberg
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  5. Karoline Schousboe
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Ann Helen Madsen, and Rikke Juul-Sandberg. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Ann Helen Madsen and all authors commented on later versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ann Helen Madsen.

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All the procedures performed in this study were performed in accordance with the principles of the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Approval was granted by the Ethical Committee of the Region of Southern Denmark (S-20120041).

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Madsen, A.H., Juul-Sandberg, R., Kjær Steffensen, G. et al. The Effect of Prolactin on Sexual Dysfunction in Uremic Men. SN Compr. Clin. Med. 3, 826–834 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42399-021-00807-5

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