Hospital frequency and factors associated with erectile dysfunction in stroke patients at the Libreville University hospital

Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is common after a stroke, but often underestimated. This study aims to investigate the frequency of ED and its associated factors in a hospital 52setting in Libreville, Gabon. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 109 male stroke patients aged 18 years or older who were seen in the neurology department at the Libreville University Hospital in 2023. Data were collected using a questionnaire that included sociodemographic and clinical data. ED was assessed using the IIEF-5 score. Qualitative variables were presented as percentages and quantitative variables were described by the median or mean. Frequency comparisons were performed using the Chi-square test. A stepwise downward multivariate analysis was used to identify factors associated with ED. For all analyses, the significance threshold was set at p < 0.05. Results: Of the 109 patients, 70 had ED, a frequency of 64.2%. The factors associated with ED in this study were: age > 65 years (OR = 7.63; 95% CI [1.23–47.17], p=0.029) and ischemic stroke in the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) territory (OR = 0.05; 95% CI [0.01–0.27], p=0.001). Conclusion: This study highlights the very high prevalence of ED among stroke patients. Particular emphasis must be placed on preventing stroke risk factors and improving acute stroke care in order to reverse this trend.