Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are common in aging males and can significantly impact quality of life. Research suggests a potential link between LUTS and sexual function. This study investigates the correlation between various LUTS components and erectile function to clarify this relationship.

Data were collected from 99 male patients who completed the International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS) and the 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaires. We analyzed correlations between each of the seven IPSS components - frequency, urgency, nocturia, weak stream, intermittent flow, straining, and incomplete emptying and IIEF-5 scores. Additionally, we conducted subgroup analyses based on storage symptom scores, voiding symptom scores, and IPSS severity classifications (mildly symptomatic: 0-7, moderately symptomatic: 8-19, and severely symptomatic: 20-35) to determine their association with IIEF-5 scores.

Our findings revealed a significant negative correlation between IIEF-5 scores and several IPSS components, including frequency (p=0.0009), urgency (p=0.0018), nocturia (p=0.0068), weak stream (p=0.0227), and incomplete emptying (p=0.0473). Both storage and voiding symptoms were negatively associated with IIEF-5 scores, where higher scores in storage symptoms (p=0.0002) and voiding symptoms (p=0.0149) correlated with lower IIEF-5 scores. Additionally, patients with more severe IPSS classifications demonstrated correspondingly lower IIEF-5 scores (p=0.001), indicating that increased LUTS severity is linked to decreased sexual function.

The study reveals a significant negative correlation between LUTS severity and sexual function, suggesting that as urinary symptoms worsen, sexual function tends to decline. This finding highlights the need to consider sexual health in managing patients with LUTS.