(206) Erectile Dysfunction and Hypogonadism in Men with Spina Bifida
Authors: Fortingo N , Greear G , Hsieh T , Horns J , Das R , Hotaling J , Santiago-Lastra Y 
Published: May 2023

Introduction

Spina Bifida is a congenital neurological defect associated with genitourinary anomalies, requiring comprehensive urological care from pediatrics to adulthood. For men with spina bifida, a significant focus is on urinary tract surveillance to maintain continence, preserve kidney and bladder health, and optimize fertility and sexual function. While men with SB have an increasing interest in exploring their sexuality and sexual health, these concerns may be under-discussed and undertreated depending on their burden of illness. ED is associated with diminished body image and low self-confidence resulting in poor sexual health. Additionally, it creates barriers to maintaining intimate relationships. Current data tackling the prevalence of erectile dysfunction demonstrates variations in value, yet low quantifications of treatment for SB patients. Prior studies have shown a positive response to phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitor therapy (80%). Concurrently, the impact of hypogonadism on the SB is unknown. Hypogonadism is associated with increased insulin resistance in young males, hyperlipidemia, and other adverse vascular effects. These risk factors play a role in the vascular etiology of erectile dysfunction and can be a burden on sexual health. With a scarcity of men’s sexual health data focused on the adult SB male population, there is a need to illustrate the prevalence of ED and HG in men with SB while investigating treatment utilization. We hypothesize that men with SB will experience a higher rate of diagnosis of ED and HG compared to the general adult male population, and lower treatment utilization rates.

Objective

To calculate the estimated prevalence of erectile dysfunction and hypogonadism in adult men with spina bifida

Methods

This retrospective claims study used the MarketScan® databases from 2008 to 2017 to derive prevalence estimates for erectile dysfunction and hypogonadism in men with spina bifida, to compare these estimates to those in men without spina bifida, and to describe treatment patterns in this cohort. All men in aged 18 years and older with a diagnosis of SB were included for analysis. Patients with congenital hormonal disorders were excluded. To analyze treatment utilization, the National Drug Codes for pharmacotherapies for ED or HG and Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for penile prosthesis were used.

Results

The estimated prevalence of erectile dysfunction and hypogonadism in men with spina bifida was 7.83% and 7.71%, respectively. Men with spina bifida in the sample exhibited high rates of smoking and metabolic comorbidities, but were diagnosed less frequently with erectile dysfunction when controlling for age and metabolic comorbidities than men without spina bifida. Most men with spina bifida and ED (66.6%) or hypogonadism (77.4%) do not receive treatment. However, a diagnosis of spina bifida did not appear to affect the likelihood of treatment for either condition on multivariate analysis.

Conclusions

Based on the results, claims data suggest that HG and ED are diagnosed less frequently than expected. While there are some limitations to the population being examined in this database, improving health care delivery of sexual health concerns during the surveillance of men with spina bifida will enhance their quality of life and optimize their sexual and metabolic function.

Disclosure

No