19% of hospitalized men had lasting erectile dysfunction

A study found that 19% of men who were hospitalized with COVID-19 experienced erectile dysfunction (ED) afterward. Nearly half of these men still had ED two years later. The research involved 609 men, with a median age of 48, who were hospitalized in Japan during the alpha and delta variant phases. ED symptoms appeared within 28 days for most, but some developed them months later. The study noted that men with ED reported higher rates of fatigue, shortness of breath, and anxiety. While some men improved over time, 49% still had ED after two years, highlighting the need for awareness and discussion of this issue in post-COVID care.