Prevalence and Pattern of Erectile Dysfunction among People Living with HIV/AIDS in a Tertiary Hospital in North-central Nigeria

Background: The incidence of erectile dysfunction among men with HIV/AIDS is twice compared with the general population and this remains a major concern because of its negative impact on the quality of life of sufferers. While researchers have documented varying prevalence rates of ED among diverse population of men, there is paucity of data on this subject among PLWHA in Nigeria and most especially in the North central part of the country. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and pattern of erectile dysfunction as well as its association with certain socio-demographic factors among HIV/AIDS subjects attending a tertiary hospital in North-central Nigeria.

Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted among 300 adult HIV-positive male patients. A semi-structured questionnaire was adapted to obtain information on socio-demographic data of the study subjects. The erectile dysfunction was assessed using the International Index for Erectile Function-5 which was interviewer-administered. The systematic sampling method was used to recruit study participants following informed consent. Data obtained were analyzed using SPSS version 21. Confidence interval of 95% was used and p-value of less than .05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The prevalence of erectile dysfunction among the respondents was 57%; of which 64.9% of them had mild form and 2.9% had severe form. There was a significant association between higher prevalence of ED and low educational status of the study subjects (p-value=.01).

Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of erectile dysfunction among men living with HIV/AIDS in North-central Nigeria and those with lower educational qualifications are particularly vulnerable. We recommend routine screening at HIV clinics for early detection, management as well as timely referral.