Potential utility of the triglyceride-glucose index as a predictor of erectile dysfunction and its severity: a cross-sectional, case-control study.

The aim of this case-control study was to evaluate the relationship between triglyceride-glucose index (TyG Index) and erectile dysfunction (ED) and its severity. A total of 230 male patients, aged between 18 and 75 years, admitted to the urology outpatient clinic with complaining erectile dysfunction were evaluated. Routine blood serum tests performed to determine the etiology of ED were analyzed. TyG index was calculated. All patients were requested to fill in the validated Turkish version of the 5-item International Index of erectile function (IIEF-5) survey. ED severity of patients was determined according to IIEF-5 scores and data of patients with and without ED were compared. The ED group exhibited higher values for body mass index, waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, ALT, and triglycerides compared to the control group (p < 0.05). In contrast, AST and total testosterone levels were significantly lower in the ED group (p < 0.05). The TyG index was significantly higher, and IIEF scores were lower in the ED group (p < 0.05). Moreover, the TyG index was elevated across all ED subgroups (severe, moderate, mild-moderate, and mild) compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The TyG index demonstrated significant effectiveness in distinguishing severe ED from all other ED groups. Based on the results of our study, the TyG index appears to be a simple method that shows a high correlation with the severity of ED. We believe that the use of the TyG index in the diagnosis and follow-up of ED is noteworthy, and further prospective studies with larger sample sizes are needed to support this conclusion.