Cold hypersensitivity in the hands and feet is associated with erectile dysfunction in young Taiwanese men

Abstract

Cold hypersensitivity in the hands and feet (CHHF) is a protective or predisposing factor for many diseases; however, the relationship between CHHF and erectile dysfunction (ED) remains unclear. We aimed to investigate associations between CHHF and ED among young men of Southeast Asian origin. In this cross-sectional study, sexually active Taiwanese men aged 20–40 years were enrolled via an online questionnaire comprising general demographic information, comorbidities, subjective thermal sensations of their hands and feet in the past 6 months, and their erectile function using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5). Participants who reported cold sensation of hands and feet were classified to have CHHF; those with IIEF-5 score ≤ 21 were considered to have ED. Total 54.2% and 27.9% of participants had ED and CHHF, respectively. Men with CHHF were significantly younger, had lower body mass index and IIEF-5 scores (p < 0.001), and a lower prevalence of diabetes mellitus (p = 0.033) along with higher prevalence of ED, psychiatric disorders, and insomnia (p < 0.001). After adjusting for predisposing factors of ED, CHHF (odds ratio 1.410, 95% confidence interval 1.159–1.714; p = 0.001) remained an independent predictor of ED. Thus, CHHF is independently associated with ED, affecting more than a quarter of young Taiwanese men. Autonomic dysregulation and subclinical endothelial dysfunction may be common pathophysiologies of CHHF and ED.

Construction of a 3-year risk prediction model for developing diabetes in patients with pre-diabetes

“…It can cause a variety of metabolic disorders, such as hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, insulin resistance (IR), etc., and also lead to Fserious complications, such as diabetes nephropathy (DN), diabetes retinopathy, diabetes peripheral neuropathy, cardiovascular disease (CVD), etc. ( 2 ), which is very harmful. The data released by the international diabetes alliance in 2021 shows that about 537 million people aged 20–79 in the world suffer from T2DM (accounting for 10.5% of the total population), and the number is expected to rise to 783 million by 2024, which will bring a heavy burden to the global social and economic development ( 3 ).…”