The effects of social isolation measures taken against the COVID-19 pandemic on erectile functions of healthcare professionals: a prospective comparative study

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare professionals with different duties, such as doctors, nurses, medical secretaries, and medical staff, causes erectile dysfunction (ED). Material and Methods: In between 1 May 2020 and 1 August 2020, volunteering male health workers who had regular sexual intercourse at least once a week for the last six months and who had not previously worked in COVID-19 clinics were included in the study. Before and 4 weeks after working in COVID-19 clinics, erectile function was determined by the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) form. The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAS) was used to evaluate anxiety disorders and their severity. Results: A total of 218 male health caregivers were included in the study. Among these, 56 (25.7%) were doctors, 81 (37.2%) were nurses, 46 (21.1%) were medical secretaries and 35 (16.1%) were the medical staff. The mean HAM-A score of the doctors measured 4 weeks after having worked in a COVID-19 clinic (3,32±4,68) was observed to be significantly higher compared to that measured before working (28,43±14,05) (p<0.001). The mean IIEF-5 scores of the doctors measured 4 weeks after having worked in a COVID-19 clinic (16,34±4,11) was observed to be significantly lower compared to that measured before working (22,29±2,35) (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our results indicate that healthcare professionals working in COVID-19 clinics have increased anxiety and ED, and physicians are affected more than the other healthcare professionals. Keywords: COVID-19, health professionals, erectile dysfunction, anxiety, hamilton anxiety scale