Advocacy and Proposals for a Rational Care of Erectile Dysfunction (ED) in France

Addressing to at least 30% of the male population, ED is a public health concern. Characterized by the permanent impossibility to achieve or maintain a rigid erection for a satisfactory sexual activity, it has a negative effect, whatever the age, on the personality, the social and professional status leading to depression and/or deviant attitudes and suicidal behavior in younger groups. Last but not least, when recognized as of vascular origin, ED is now considered as prophetic to other cardiovascular or cerebral complications. Modern and safe techniques to evaluate and treat ED should have improved its overall care. Nevertheless, as a paradox it did not happen in our country. Three main reasons: a taboo still present in the population even health providers who, second reasons are separated in non-cooperative: e specialties, and the intemperate and optimistic use of PDE5 inhibitors.
Based on our personal experience (over 20.000 cases of ED in our database) we present the inacceptable lack of care suffered by patients looking for efficiency, the lack of a diagnostic work so often reduced to a preset psychological origin and/or the single prescription of PDE5 inhibitors. We recommend the establishment of a task force to define independently a program for a rational and effective care of ED under the custody of our French surgical academy.