According to a new Taiwanese study, men who have eczema are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction compared to other men, reports Reuters.

A research team spearheaded by Shiu-Dong Chung at Taipei Medical University found the association between impotence and atopic dermatitis, the medical term for eczema.

As per the reports published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, study authors compared the insurance claims data on 3,997 men with newly diagnosed erectile dysfunction to 20,000 men the same age with no history of erection problems.

Researchers found that around 11% men with erectile dysfunction had eczema before the impotence diagnosis, while only 7% men without erectile dysfunction had a history of eczema, notes the UK-based news agency.

On considering health problems like diabetes and heart disease, researchers found that men suffering from impotence were 60% more likely to have a history of eczema than men without erectile dysfunction, learns the newswire.

According to Donald Leung, an allergist and immunologist at National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado, the study relied on administrative claims, which may not be accurate; adding that another limitation of the study was that it is not clear that whether the men had eczema at the time of erectile dysfunction diagnosis or years earlier.

Chung and his team said that although more research is needed to validate the results and investigate the reason behind the association of eczema and impotence, we suggest doctors to ask men with eczema about their sexual function, notes the news service.

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