According to the report published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, the chances of developing erectile dysfunction are 66.6% higher for men with rheumatoid arthritis compared to non-sufferers, reports Rheumatology News.

Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 was used by the researchers to conduct the study, which is first to explore the association between rheumatoid arthritis and erectile dysfunction, notes the news portal.

Study authors compared 6,310 patients, all aged between 18 to 80 years, who were first-time diagnosed with erectile dysfunction between 2001 and 2009, with 37,860 control patients.

For ensuring the diagnostic validity of erection problems, researchers included only those patients in the study, who were diagnosed at least twice with erectile dysfunction, learns the website.

Similarly, study authors selected only those rheumatoid arthritis patients, who were prescribed a DMARD. Based on conditional logistic regression analysis, researchers found that the ratio for rheumatoid arthritis among men with erectile dysfunction was 1.67, compared to controls.

According to Rheumatology News, results of the study were compiled after considering the effects of factors, such as income, location, hypertension, diabetes, obesity and alcohol abuse, among others.

Citing the figures of the research, study authors advise physicians to listen to sexual problems of patients while treating them for rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Joseph J Keller and Herng-Ching Lin told Rheumatology News that the link between rheumatoid arthritis and erectile dysfunction can be blamed to RA-induced endothelial dysfunction.

Emphasising the need of further studies to validate the findings, researchers said there are several other mechanisms that can be the reason behind erectile dysfunction’s association with other diseases.