The Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Erectile Dysfunction in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background Erectile dysfunction (ED) may be common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but its prevalence and risk factors still remain debatable. Aim To evaluate the prevalence of ED in the IBD population and the potential role of risk factors in the development of ED. Methods An extensive search in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science was performed to identify relevant English-language articles published up to December 2021 that evaluated the prevalence of ED on IBD patients. The included studies were evaluated by 2 independent reviewers for eligibility. We used an adapted Assessment Tool for Prevalence Studies to evaluate the quality of enrolled studies. Data were analyzed and graphed using the STATA software (version 16.0; Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, USA). The ORs with 95% CIs were pooled using a fixed or random-effects model according to heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis was performed to explore the source of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the stability of the results. Outcomes The pooled prevalence of ED in IBD patients was calculated, and the OR value and 95% CIs were used to assess the strength of the association between IBD-related risk factors and ED. Results Fourteen studies included 32,858 individuals totally were enrolled for this meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence estimate of ED in IBD patients was 27% (95% CI: 20–34%). Operation (OR 1.28; 95% CI: 1.17–1.39; P < .00001; I2 = 0.0%), disease activity (OR 2.06; 95% CI: 1.07–3.05; P < .00001), and depression (crude OR 3.31; 95% CI: 1.08–5.54; P = .004; I2 = 0.0%) significantly increase the risk of ED in people with IBD. The association of depression and ED was further confirmed by calculating the pooled estimates of adjusted OR (1.58; 95% CI: 0.05–3.12; P < .05; I2 = 0.0%). The pooled prevalence estimates of ED were 30, 33, and 17% in the age Clinical Implications IBD patients had a significantly increased prevalence of ED, indicating that erectile function in men with IBD should be concerned by clinicians. Strengths & Limitations The strength of this study is that this is the first meta-analysis to assess the global prevalence and risk factors of ED in IBD patients. A limitation is that the results after pooling the included articles showed significant heterogeneity. Conclusion The results of our meta-analysis and systematic review provide evidence of the high prevalence and risk factors of ED in IBD patients.