Quality of life of hypertensive men with erectile dysfunction in a tertiary health centre in southern Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the most common disorder of sexual health seen in men in community studies. A man’s sexual health has been found to be a key factor in determining the capacity for maintaining a healthy relationship. AIM: This study sought to determine the quality of life of hypertensive men with ED attending the out-patient clinics of Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba, South-South, Nigeria. SETTING: This study was conducted in the Out Patients Clinics (OPC) of FMC, Asaba, Delta state, Nigeria. METHODS: After obtaining approval from the ethics and research committees in Asaba, 184 consenting hypertensive men who met the eligibility criteria were selected by systematic random sampling to participate in the study from October 2015 to January 2016. This study was a cross-sectional survey. Data were collected with a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire adopted from the international index of Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF). The study complied with the principles of Helsinki and Good Clinical Practice. RESULTS: The results showed the mean score for physical domain (58.78 ± 24.37), the psychological domain (62.68 ± 25.93), the social domain (50.47 ± 29.09), and the environmental domain (62.25 ± 18.52). Over a fifth, 11 (22.0%), of the respondents with severe ED had poor quality of life. CONCLUSION: This study showed that ED is common in hypertensive men and their quality of life was more impaired than those with normal erectile function. CONTRIBUTION: This study contributes to holistic approaches to patient care.