The Impact of Abstinence from Alcohol on Erectile Dysfunction: A Prospective Follow up in Patients with Alcohol Use Disorder

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background There is a compelling evidence for the relation between alcohol use and erectile dysfunction (ED), however the impact of alcohol abstinence on improvement of ED is explored sparsely. Aim This study aimed to determine the impact of alcohol abstinence on ED. The association between total duration of drinking, the quantity of alcohol consumed, sociodemographic, clinical variables and ED were also studied. Methods One hundred and four subjects with alcohol use disorder and complaints of ED meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited into the study after taking written informed consent. The subjects were assessed at baseline and after 3 months of abstinence from alcohol with IIEF-5 and a specially designed pro forma. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to assess the change in ED after 3 months of abstinence. Chi square test was done to assess the associations and binary logistic regression was done to determine the significance of variables after 3 months of abstinence. Outcomes Improvement in ED after 3 months of abstinence from alcohol and its association between socio demographic and clinical variables were assessed. Results Of the 104 subjects studied, 88.5% (92) showed improvement in ED after 3 months of abstinence from alcohol. Wilcoxon signed rank test showed that the improvement in ED after 3 months of abstinence was significant. (Z = 8.708, P < .001). Significant association was found between age, alcoholic liver disease, total duration of drinking, and number of standard drinks per day with ED after 3 months of abstinence. Clinical Implications Information that ED will improve with abstinence from alcohol can be used in deaddiction treatment to provide a motivation for change. Strength and Limitations This study aims to fill the gap in literature as only a few studies have examined the impact of abstinence from alcohol on ED. The main limitations of this study are short follow up period and since this study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital it could have given rise to Berksonian bias. Conclusion Results indicate that ED shows improvement with abstinence from alcohol. Absence of alcoholic liver disease, younger age, shorter duration of drinking, lesser number of standard drinks per day had a significant influence in the improvement of ED with alcohol abstinence and this information can be beneficial in treatment to provide an impetus for change.