The association between erectile dysfunction (ED) and hypertriglyceridemia is still debatable.

To study prevalence and severity of ED in young men with very high levels of triglycerides.

Enrolled were men who went through routine health checks including full lipid profiling and completion of the Sexual Health Inventory for Men questionnaire (SHIM). Very high levels of triglycerides were defined as ≥ 500mg/dl. The control groups consisted of men with very high levels of LDL cholesterol defined as ≥ 190mg/dl and men with normal cholesterol levels. Excluded were men with diabetes, ischemic heart disease, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ≥ 60mg/dl, and mixed hyperlipidemias.

Included were 88 men, aged 35.9 ± 7.1 years (range: 25-51 years): 21 men with pure severe hypertriglyceridemia (triglyceride levels ≥ 500mg/dl and non-HDL cholesterol ≥ 189mg/dl), 34 men with pure severe hyperlipidemia (LDL cholesterol levels ≥ 190mg/dl and triglycerides ≥ 199mg/dl), and 33 men with normal cholesterol levels. No significant differences were found between these groups in terms of mean age and mean SHIM score. Prevalence of ED (i.e., SHIM score < 22) was higher among men with pure severe hypertriglyceridemia than among men with pure severe hyperlipidemia (42.9% vs. 29.4%) and men with normal cholesterol levels (42.9% vs. 24.2%), although these results were not significant (p = 0.2 and 0.4, respectively).

Prevalence of ED might be increased in young men with pure severe hypertriglyceridemia, though a larger cohort with a longitudinal follow-up is needed to prove that hypertriglyceridemia is an independent risk factor for ED.