PATH Study data show e-cigarettes are associated with erectile dysfunction

Findings by El-Shahawy et al., published this month in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, show for the first time in a population-based study that electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are associated with erectile dysfunction (ED), which impacts 1 in 5 men over the age of 20 in the US. And this association between ENDS (for example, e-cigarettes) and ED exists, regardless of age or other risk factors like cardiovascular disease. Further, men who use ENDS daily are more than twice as likely to experience sexual impotence. ENDS are often used to try to reduce or stop cigarette smoking, due to the widespread perception that e-cigarettes are less dangerous than cigarettes. So it is notable that the authors also found that “current ENDS users who are also former smokers seemed to consistently experience a higher risk of ED.” These findings by El-Shahawy et al. were based on their analysis of data from male respondents, aged 20-65, who participated in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study [United States] Public-Use Files (ICPSR 36498). The PATH Study is an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of nearly 50,000 US adult and youth respondents, fielded in order to examine various tobacco use behaviors, attitudes and beliefs, and tobacco-related health outcomes. Launched in 2011 to inform Food and Drug Administration regulatory activities under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (TCA), the PATH Study’s data collection is planned through 2024. Hundreds more publications based on PATH Study data can be accessed on the PATH Study series page.