ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS C DURING ANTIVIRAL THERAPY

Abstract

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficiently rigid for sexual intercourse. Primary ED denotes that the patient has never been able to achieve or sustain an erection. ED is secondary if previously existing potency has been lost which may be psychogenic, organic or combined. Organic ED can be arteriogenic, venogenic, neurogenic, endocrinologic, structural abnormality induced, traumatic, drug induced or associated with systemic disease. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health problem. Chronic HCV infection has also been associated with several endocrine disorders, including autoimmune thyroid disease and diabetes. In addition to these endocrine disorders, limited available data suggest that HCV infection may be associated with sexual dysfunction among men. Many studies have indicated that chronic HCV infection is an independent risk factor for inducing ED