Efficacy and safety of sertraline for the treatment of premature ejaculation: Systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUD: Evidence on the efficacy and safety of sertraline in patients with premature ejaculation (PE) was inconsistent. The objective of this article is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sertraline for the treatment of PE. METHODS: We searched Medline (OVID), Embase, the Cochrane Library, and 2 Chinese databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and randomized crossover trials (RTs) that evaluated the efficacy and safety of sertraline in patients with PE. A meta-analysis was performed to calculate their pooled estimates with 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: Of the 645 records obtained, we included 12 RCTs and 2 RTs (n = 977). Meta-analysis showed that sertraline prolonged intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT) in PE patients ((standard mean difference (SMD) = 2.14, 95% CI 1.20 to 3.08). Subgroup analyses indicated a prolonged IELT for different treatment courses: 4 weeks (SMD = 2.66, 1.06 to 4.26), 6 weeks (SMD = 0.95, 0.31 to 1.58), and 8 weeks (SMD = 1.81, 0.78 to 2.85). The sexual satisfaction rates of patients (SMD = 2.20, 1.57 to 2.84) and spouses (SMD = 2.27, 1.44 to 3.09) were also improved. We observed a significant increased risk of gastrointestinal upset (risk ratio = 2.71, 1.39 to 5.28) in the sertraline group. CONCLUSION: Sertraline can prolong IELT of PE patients, improve sexual satisfaction rates of patients and spouses, but increase risk of gastrointestinal upset.