UroToday.com - Cigarette smoking has been identified as a strong risk factor for erectile dysfunction (ED.) The authors of this study have attempted to identify whether smoking cessation reverses ED in men who previously smoked cigarettes. They studied men with ED who entered a nicotine replacement program for smoking termination. The men studied had no risk factors for ED other than smoking. Degree of ED was categorized by the erectile function domain (EFD) score of the International Index of Erectile Function. Patients completed the IIEF on entry into the nicotine replacement program and one year later after cessation of smoking or after one year of continued smoking. There were 118 men who stopped smoking after the nicotine replacement program and 163 men who continued to smoke. After one year off cigarettes, ED status improved in 25% of the ex-smokers and none of the men who continued to smoke. ED status worsened in 3.4% of the ex-smokers and 6.7% of those who continued to smoke. The authors conclude that smoking cessation can result in reversal of ED "in a considerable percent of smokers." Editor's Note: If these findings are confirmed in other studies, the hope of improved erectile function could be offered to men who smoke as a benefit of smoking cessation. A more in depth analysis of this data looking at duration and amount of smoking compared to IIEF-erectile function scores would be helpful as would full risk profiles for age, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. AUA 2006 - Abstract 1331: Pourmand G et al. Reviewed by UroToday.com Contributing Editor Ira Sharlip, MD UroToday - the only urology website with original content written by global urology key opinion leaders actively engaged in clinical practice. To access the latest urology news releases from UroToday, go to:

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