The predictive value of red cell distribution width on erectile dysfunction

Red cell distribution width (RDW), one of the biomarkers used to measure vascular ageing, is known to correspond with cardiovascular diseases. As coronary artery disease and erectile dysfunction (ED) are both caused by the same shared pathophysiology, in this study, we compared the RDW values of men diagnosed with ED and those of healthy controls. Ninety‐nine patients who were diagnosed with ED were included in the study. The control group consists of 100 men who presented to our outpatient clinic. Patients' fasting blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels were significantly higher in men diagnosed with ED. While the mean RDW value was 13.49 ± 1.52 in men with ED, it was 12.91 ± 1.13 in the control group. When RDW values were compared between the two groups, the RDW values of men with ED were found to be statistically significantly higher. Multivariate analyses showed that only the patients' body mass index, fasting blood sugar, triglyceride (TG), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (HDL‐C), TG/HDL‐C ratio and RDW levels' relationship with ED was statistically significant. Although some studies have shown that RDW may be related to some diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer, this appears to be the first study demonstrating a relationship between RDW and ED. RDW can be utilised as a predictor for the determination of the presence and monitoring of the severity of ED.