Your middle-aged and older male patients might want to think twice before taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID): A report in the Journal of Urology indicates that NSAIDs can increase the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) in these men.

More than 1,000 men between the ages of 50 and 70 participated in the study. The researchers found that men who were NSAID users had an ED rate per 1,000 person-years of 93. For those who didn't use NSAIDs, the rate was 35.

The most common reason for NSAID use was relief of arthritis pain; among those who had arthritis, the ED rates per 1,000 person-years were 97 for NSAID users and 52 for nonusers. Men who had arthritis but didn't use NSAIDs had only a 30% increased risk of ED.

The authors believe that the connection they found among arthritis, NSAID use, and ED might explain results of previous reports linking arthritis to ED. LPN

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