(328) RELATION BETWEEN TIME OF PRESENTATION OF ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION (ED) AND SEARCH FOR INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET WITH IIEF-5 SEVERITY SCORE

Abstract Introduction Erectile Dysfunction is a common disease of the male reproductive system, which seriously affects the life quality of patients and their partners. Objective Our purpose is to assess the time between the onset of symptoms and the seeking of medical attention for Erectile Dysfunction (ED). We hypothesize that patients with ED searching for information in unreliable sources increases time between symptoms onset and the first medical consultation. Methods A questionnaire was given to patients diagnosed with ED during urological consultation (June 2023–June 2024). Questionnaire included questions about seeking information on the Internet, their findings, their source of information, their search motive, the date of onset of ED symptoms and the first time they went to a medical consultation for this reason. IIEF-5 questionnaire was applied to measure the severity of the ED, dividing it into 4 groups (mild, mild–moderate, moderate and severe). Results 154 questionnaires were collected. Of the patients, 3 (1.95%) had no ED, 40 (25.97%) had mild ED, 61 (39.61%) had mild–moderate ED, 39 (25.32%) had moderate ED and 11 (7.14%) had severe ED. Average age was 51 years (22-82). Average time between the onset of symptoms and the first consultation was 23.7 months (0-178). 94 (61%) of the patients had previously searched for information on the Internet. There was a significant relationship with severity and internet search (p < 0.001). We found a significant relationship between greater severity of ED and less time seeking medical treatment for the mild, mild–moderate and moderate groups (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001). Severe ED group did not have a significant value (p = 0.03). Patients who had previously searched for information on the Internet had a larger time to attend first consultation (p < 0.001). Conclusions Patients take an average of 23.7 months from the onset of symptoms of erectile dysfunction until attending consultation Patients with greater severity come for consultation later, except for patients with Severe ED Patients who searched for information on the Internet take longer to attend consultation. Disclosure No.