Ejaculatio Praecox and Spurious Polycythemia

To the Editor.—In 32 patients with a complaint of ejaculatio praecox (among 78 consecutive patients), there was a mean hemoglobin level of 17.25±0.85 g/dL and a mean hematocrit reading of 54% ±2.4%. The mean blood volume was 32.8±2.2 mL/kg (normal, 28.2±4.1 mL/kg), and the mean plasma volume was 33.7±3.2 mL/kg (normal, 39.7±5.3 mL/kg). Laboratory investigation showed that in all of these patients the gonadal, adrenal, and thyroid axes were within normal limits. In nine of these patients, there was no improvement in sexual performance following phlebotomy. It was also found that 17 patients with true polycythemia, who served as a control group, did not have any sexual difficulties.It is possible that the high prevalence of spurious polycythemia in patients with precocious ejaculation is due to a causative interrelationship. The absence of sexual disturbances in the patients with true polycythemia and the lack of response following phlebotomy suggest that