Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common disease in middle-aged and older men, referring to the persistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient to complete satisfactory sexual intercourse. In 1998, Rosen simplified and designed an international erectile function questionnaire, which includes 5 questions. It is simple and straightforward. Question 1 is about the patient’s confidence in erection and maintenance of erection, questions 2, 3 and 4 are about erectile function, and question 5 is about overall satisfaction with sexual life.
The five questions were.
1. My confidence in obtaining and maintaining an erection
0
1 score Very low
2 points Low
3 points Fair
4 points High
5 points very high
2.How many times can you get an erection and enter a woman’s vagina under sexual stimulation
No
Hardly
Occasionally a few times
(less than half) Sometimes
(About half) Most of the time
(More than half) Almost every time
3.How many times can you maintain an erection during sexual intercourse
Never
Almost none
Occasionally
(Less than half) Sometimes
(About half) Most of the time
(More than half) Almost every time
4.How many times can you maintain an erection until the end of sexual intercourse
Never
Hardly ever
Occasionally
(Less than half) Sometimes
(About half) Most of the time
(More than half) Almost every time
5.When you try to have sex, how many times can you get satisfaction?
Never
Almost never
Occasionally
(Less than half) Sometimes
(About half) Most of the time
(more than half) almost every time
The score 5-7 is severe ED, 8-11 is moderate ED, 12-21 is mild ED, 22-25 is not suffering from ED (normal), if the score is less than 21 points should be made for treatment. On this basis, in 2003, our urological male experts recommended the Chinese Index of Erectile Function (CIEF) consisting of five questions to assess the erectile function of Chinese men. According to the problems found during the clinical application of IIEF I-5, and taking into account the cultural traditions of China, questions 3 and 4 of IIEF-5, which had repeated connotations, were streamlined into one, and question 1 of the original IIEF was added and the order was adjusted to make it more suitable for China’s national conditions, which became the Chinese Index of Erectile Function (CIEF). The CIEF and IIEF-5 were compared, and the results showed their equivalence. The five questions of CIEF are: 1) How many times can the penis get an erection when sexually stimulated? 2) How many times can the penis penetrate the vagina during sexual intercourse? 3) How many times can the penis maintain an erection after penetration until completion of sexual intercourse? 4) How many times do you get satisfaction during sexual intercourse? 5) How confident are you in getting and maintaining an erection? A score of less than 20 is diagnosed as ED.
There are approximately 100 million men in the world who suffer from varying degrees of erectile dysfunction. Although erectile dysfunction itself is not life-threatening, it affects men’s quality of life and body and mind, and involves social issues such as conjugal feelings and family harmony, so we say that erectile dysfunction is a common male disease that affects a wide range of men and is multi-morbid.
However, due to the influence of traditional culture and the lack of simple, safe and effective treatment methods in the past, only 10% of erectile dysfunction patients seek treatment while the majority of patients suffer in silence.
With the in-depth study of erectile dysfunction, it was found that in addition to anxiety, depression, tension, couples’ relationship crisis and psychological factors such as misunderstanding or immaturity of sexual activity can lead to erectile dysfunction, many organic diseases such as trauma, cardiovascular disease, etc. are the main causes of penile erectile dysfunction. In addition, smoking, drinking a lot of alcohol and other bad habits are also important causes of erectile dysfunction. Therefore, patients with erectile dysfunction should go to a large general hospital in a timely manner, so that on the one hand, erectile dysfunction can be treated in a targeted manner, and on the other hand, there is a possibility of timely detection of intrinsic related diseases for early diagnosis, early treatment, and beneficial physical and mental health.
In order for patients to be able to self-assess and communicate with specialists, the China Index of Erectile Function (CIEF) can be used for self-assessment, and a score of less than 21 should be seen by a doctor at a major hospital.