Objective: Studies have shown that insulin resistance (IR) plays a role in the pathogenesis of erectile dysfunction (ED). Triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index has been found as a reliable marker of IR. In this study, our aim was to investigate the role of TyG index in patients with ED.

Materials and Methods: One hundred six patients with ED (study group) and 54 subjects with normal sexual function (control group) constituted our study population. Erectile function was assessed by using International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) questionnaire. TyG index was calculated for each participant.

Results: ED patient were older, had higher total cholesterol (TC), low- density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), glucose and triglyceride concentrations and TyG indexes (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, p=0.036, p=0.026 and p=0.003, respectively). IIEF-5 scores showed a negative correlation with TyG indexes (r= -0.273, p=0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that TyG index cut-off value of 9.03 had 70.3% sensitivity and 65% specificity in predicting mild-to-moderate, moderate, and severe ED. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, TC, LDL-C, and TyG index had predictive values for the identification of the patients who had mild-to-moderate, moderate, and severe ED.

Conclusion: TyG index might be a valuable diagnostic tool for ED, and it might be used in clinical practice for the evaluation of patients.

Keywords : erectile dysfunction, triglyceride, glucose