Serum Arginase II level can be a novel indicator for erectile dysfunction in patients with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction: a comparative study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to compare serum level of Arginase II in patients with vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (ED) versus healthy controls and to assess if its level is affected by severity of ED.

METHODS: This is a prospective study that compared Arginase II in 40 patients with ED versus 40 healthy controls. Patients were excluded if they had any pelvic trauma or pelvic surgery, hormonal disorders, Peyronie's disease, smoking, drug addiction or systemic illnesses. ED was evaluated by the validated Arabic version of the abbreviated five-item form of the international index of erectile function (IIEF-5). Serum arginase II level was assayed using ELIZA. Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square tests and Spearman correlation were used as appropriate and confirmed by logistic regression model.

RESULTS: 22 (55%) patients had DM. 15 (37.5%), 7 (17%), 6 (15%) and 12 (30%) patients suffered from severe, moderate, mild to moderate and mild ED, respectively. The level of serum Arginase II was significantly higher in patients than controls (p < 0.001) and confirmed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. It also correlated significantly with age (r2  = 0.22; p < 0.001) and IIEF-5 score (r2  = 0.8; p < 0.001). Serum Arginase II increased significantly with more severe ED (p < 0.001). Arginase II was also significantly higher in diabetic patients (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Serum level of Arginase II is significantly higher in patients with vasculogenic ED compared to healthy controls. It correlates significantly with age and IIEF-5 and was significantly affected by the severity of ED.