Impact of Erectile Dysfunction

ED is highly prevalent, the incidence is strongly age-related, and it is progressive and undertreated. The word population is rapidly aging. In 2000, 13% of the world’s population was older than 65 yr, and it is estimated that by 2020, this population will increase to 20%. The projections made in 1998—namely, that a fourfold increase in the ED industry would occur by 2002, from about $0.9 to $5 billion—have been proven.

The impact of a condition with such escalating proportions seems obvious. The economical impact of a medical condition or disease is not limited by the cost of diag-nosis and treatment, but it includes the impact on the patient and society in various ways, such as loss of time at work, decreased productivity for the patient, and the effect on the partner, the family, and co-workers. The impact is further confounded by the correlates of ED, which have a high economical impact, such as atherosclerosis, myocardial infarc-tion, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, depression, and conditions of the prostate, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia and cancer of the prostate.