Erectile dysfunction (ED) was linked with loss of work productivity and with lower health-related quality of life in an International Journal of Clinical Practice study of more than 52,000 men from eight countries.

In the study of men aged 40 to 70 years in Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the overall ED prevalence was 49.7%, with Italy reporting the highest rate (54.7%). Men with ED reported significantly higher rates of staying home from work (7.1% vs 3.2%), working while sick (22.5% vs 10.1%), work productivity impairment (24.8% vs 11.2%), and activity impairment (28.6% vs 14.5%) than men without ED. They also had lower measures of health-related quality of life.

“This study shows that ED remains a prevalent concern, one that impacts work productivity and absenteeism,” said co-author Wing Yu Tang, of Pfizer Inc. “Stemming from eight countries, the global coverage of the data also suggests that this issue is pervasive across geographies,” added senior author Tarek Hassan, also of Pfizer Inc.