Erectile Dysfunction : Study Eligibility Criteria and Selection Process Part 1
KQ 1. The clinical utility of routine blood tests—testosterone, prolactin, LH, FSH – in identifying and affecting therapeutic outcomes for treatable causes of ED was examined using reports of measurements of serum testosterone, FSH, LH, prolactin, and/or other hormone levels, (but not gonadotrophin-releasing hormone [GnRH], Inhibin, Activin, or Follistim). It was also examined in reports of the prevalence of reversible hormonal disorders in males with erectile dysfunction. The study selection criteria included the following:
- Source: Primary study report published in English
- Study design: Any (prevalence studies)
- Population: Adults (age ≥ 18 years) diagnosed with ED with or without concurrent endocrinopathy (i.e., hypogonadism, hyperprolactinemia, abnormal levels of LH/FSH)
- Intervention (experimental): Hormonal blood tests (i.e., testosterone/prolactin/LH/FSH)
- Outcomes: Prevalence of endocrinopathies (i.e., hypogonadism, hyperprolactinemia, abnormal levels of LH/FSH)
KQ 2. Benefits of pharmaceutical treatments (e.g. oral, injections, hormonal, topical, intra-urethral suppositories) in males with ED. To address how patient specific characteristics (e.g. specific symptoms/origin, duration, severity of ED/comorbid conditions) affect prognosis/treatment success for ED patients. Evidence on the following treatment modalities was excluded from this review: Natural health products (e.g. herbals), yohimbine, vacuum constriction devices, and sex or surgical therapies (e.g. penile prosthesis implantation, penile arterial reconstructive surgery). Study selection criteria included the following:
- Source: Primary study report published in English
- Study design: RCTs (comparative efficacy and harms studies)
- Population: Adults (age => 18 years) diagnosed with ED (with or without comorbidities)
- Interventions (experimental/control): Oral (PDE–5 inhibitors, sublingual) injections (IC, cream)
- Outcomes: Clinically relevant efficacy measures (i.e., scores for the IIEF “EF” domain, IIEF–Q3/Q4, SEP-Q2/Q3, GAQ-Q1, EDITS)
KQ 3. Harms of pharmaceutical treatments (e.g. oral, injections, hormonal, topical, intra-urethral suppositories) in males with ED. Evidence on the following treatment modalities was excluded from this review: Natural health products (e.g. herbals), yohimbine, vacuum constriction devices, and sex or surgical therapies (e.g. penile prosthesis implantation, penile arterial reconstructive surgery). Study selection criteria included the following:
- Source: Primary study report published in English
- Study design: RCTs (comparative efficacy and harms studies)
- Population: Adults (age ≥ 18 years) diagnosed with ED (with or without comorbidities)