Abstract

AIM: To determine factors that affect patient preference in phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE51) for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) in patients treated with PDE5I and patients naive to PDE5I theraphy. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Patients were included in the study who had been admitted to the urology policlinics of Tepecik Teaching Hospital, Celal Bay ar and 9 Eylül Medical School Hospitals with the complaints of ED for the first time. Data were completed with an inquiry form that questioned patient demographics, education level, income and preference of PDE5I. Patiens were assed by International Index of Erectile Dysfunction (IIEF) for erectile function. Patients who had been treated with PDE5I were questioned for how to start to treatment, treatment satisfaction and adverse events. Also PDE5I naive patients were questioned for the factors that may be effect the patient preference. FINDINGS: Total of 121 patiens were enrolled the study. Of the patients 75 were PDE5I naive (primary patients) and 46 were had treated with PDE5I (secondarily patients). Mean age, IIEF erectile function domain and ED duration of the primary and secondarily patients were; 53.3±8.3 years, 10.9±6.0, 18.2±13.7 months and 53.0±11.9 years, 12.4±5.6 and 27.2±19.8 months, respectively. Of the secondarily patients 35 (76%) were started to use the PDE5I with a doctor recommendation. In this group the explanation of the drug propeıties rate was 83% (29 patients) whereas 27% (3 patients) in patients who had been started the treatment without doctor recommendation. Only 43% of the patients maintained the treatment. The most common cause of discontinuation were dissatisfaction (26%), adverse event (13%) or fair of adverse event and cost (13%). Almost all of the primary patients (97%) want to the PDE5I choice made by their doctor. CONCLUSION: In o ur country most patients do not have any knowledge about PDE5I for treatments of ED. Significant amount of patients used PDE5I therapy for ED without doctor control. We recommend that the choice of treatment for ED should be discussed obviously with patients and his partner where it is possible. The higher treatment satisfaction with PDE5I might be increased by this way of the approach.