Cigarette smoking: an independent risk factor for
impotence?
AUTHORS:
Mannino DM; Klevens RM; Flanders WD
AUTHOR AFFILIATION:
Air Pollution and Respiratory Health
Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA.
SOURCE:
Am J Epidemiol 1994 Dec 1;140(11):1003-8
CITATION IDS:
PMID: 7985647 UI: 95076949
ABSTRACT:
The authors sought to determine whether current
cigarette smoking was associated with impotence among middle-aged men. This is a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey of 4,462
US Army Vietnam-era veterans aged 31-49 years who took part in the Vietnam Experience Study in 1985-1986. The main outcome measurement
was the odds ratio for reported impotence, which was calculated by comparing current smokers with nonsmokers while controlling for multiple
confounders. The study sample consisted of 1,162 never smokers, 1,292 former smokers, and 2,008 current smokers. The prevalence of
impotence was 2.2% among never smokers, 2.0% among former smokers, and 3.7% among current smokers (p = 0.005). The unadjusted odds
ratio (OR) of the association between smoking and reported impotence was 1.8 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-2.6). The association held
even after adjustments were made for confounders, including vascular disease, psychiatric disease, hormonal factors, substance abuse, marital
status, race, and age (OR = 1.5, 95% CI 1.0-2.2). Neither years smoked nor cigarettes smoked daily were significant predictors of impotence
in current smokers. The authors concluded that, among the men in this study, a higher percentage of cigarette smokers reported impotence than
did nonsmokers. This observation could not be totally explained by comorbidity factors related to smoking.
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