https://doi.org/10.4081/aiua.2021.3.361

Erectile dysfunction treatment with Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitors: Google trends analysis of last 10 years and COVID-19 pandemic

Vol. 93 No. 3 (2021)
Submitted: April 28, 2021
Accepted: June 14, 2021
Published: October 1, 2021
Google Trends, erectile dysfunction, phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors, health behaviors, real-world evidence
Abstract Views: 1422
PDF: 720
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Müslim Dogan Değer
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5095-7770
Department of Urology, Edirne Sultan 1st Murat State Hospital, Edirne, Turkey.
Serdar Madendere
serdarmadendere@gmail.com
Department of Urology, Gümüs¸hane State Hospital, Gümüs¸hane, Turkey.

Objectives: We aimed to analyze the trend change of the most popular Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitors (PDE5i) over time and geography by using Google Trends (GT) data in 10 years period and COVID-19 pandemic.
Materials and methods: GT is able to generate a “line-graph”, showing how interest has increased or decreased over a period within specific territories. The search values for specific terms are indexed as relative search volume (RSV), which is presented on a scale from 0-100. Avarage annual percentage change (AAPC) and RSV were analyzed to evaluate gain or loss of interest in trends. Search terms were generated for Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved PDE5i; tadalafil, sildenafil, vardenafil, avanafil, and their most-used brand names. The data was within “worldwide” from 1 January 2010, to 31 December 2020, using the ‘‘global’’ query category.
Results: The overall interest in PDE5i has doubled. Sildenafil has become the most trend PDE5i of today with a regular increase (AAPC: 0.016, p < 0.01). Although the search trend of tadalafil remained almost constant until 2014, the rate of increase in the last 6 years raised and tadalafil has become the 2nd most popular PDE5i recently (AAPC: 0.007, p < 0.01). For vardenafil there has been a decreased interest (AAPC: -0.009, p < 0.01). There is no significant change in avanafil trend (AAPC: 0.000, p: 0.5). All PDE5i interest on GT decreased notably from February to June 2020. But after June, search trends reached the level before the COVID-19 period in a month.
Conclusions: These findings show us, with its increasing prevalence, erectile dysfunction (ED) has become a major public health problem. People from different geographies search the internet for ED treatment options. Patients should be informed that ED may be the first sign of many comorbid diseases, and patients with ED should be referred to a health institution for diagnosis and treatment.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC
Hatzimouratidis K, Amar E, Eardley I, et al. Guidelines on male sexual dysfunction: erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. Eur Urol. 2010; 57:804-814. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2010.02.020
Aytaç IA, McKinlay JB, Krane RJ. The likely worldwide increase in erectile dysfunction between 1995 and 2025 and some possible policy consequences. BJU Int. 1999; 84:50-56. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1464-410x.1999.00142.x
Rezaee ME, Ward CE, Brandes ER, et al. A Review of economic evaluations of erectile dysfunction therapies. Sex Med Rev. 2020;8:497-503. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sxmr.2019.06.001
Chen L, Staubli SEL, Schneider MP, et al. Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors for the treatment of erectile dysfunction: a trade-off network meta-analysis. Eur Urol. 2015; 68:674-80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2015.03.031
Tzoumas N, Farrah TE, Dhaun N, et al. Established and emerging therapeutic uses of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors in cardiovascular disease . Br J Pharmacol. 2020; 177:5467-5488 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.14920
Cacciamani GE, Bassi S, Sebben M, et al. Consulting “Dr. Google” for prostate cancer treatment options: a contemporary worldwide trend analysis. Eur Urol Oncol. 2019; 1:1-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euo.2019.07.002
National study shows U.S. men avoid the doctor. Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/HEALTH/men/990/14/mens.health/ Accessed January 6, 2021.
Nuti SV, Wayda B, Ranasinghe I, et al. The use of google trends in health care research: A systematic review. PLoS One. 2014; 9:e109583. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0109583
Wessells H, Joyce GF, Wise M, Wilt TJ. Erectile dysfunction. J Urol. 2007; 177:1675-1681. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2007.01.057
Shabsigh R. Socioeconomic considerations in erectile dysfunction treatment. Urol Clin North Am. 2001;28:417-422. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0094-0143(05)70149-X
Tan HL. Economic cost of male erectile dysfunction using a decision analytic model: For a hypothetical managed-care plan of 100 000 members. Pharmacoeconomics. 2000; 17:77-107. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00019053-200017010-00006
Jena AB, Karaca-Mandic P, Weaver L, Seabury SA. Predicting new diagnoses of HIV infection using internet search engine data. Clin Infect Dis. 2013; 56:1352-1353. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cit022
Tijerina JD, Morrison SD, Vail DG, et al. The utility of Google trends data for analyzing public interest in breast procedures. Ann Plast Surg. 2019; 82(5S Suppl 4):S325-S331. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/SAP.0000000000001806
Causanilles A, Rojas Cantillano D, Emke E, et al. Comparison of phosphodiesterase type V inhibitors use in eight European cities through analysis of urban wastewater. Environ Int. 2018; 115:279-284. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.03.039
Chiang J, Yafi FA, Dorsey PJ, Hellstrom WJG. The dangers of sexual enhancement supplements and counterfeit drugs to “treat” erectile dysfunction. Transl Androl Urol. 2017; 6:12-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21037/tau.2016.10.04
Corona G, Rastrelli G, Isidori AM, et al. Erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular risk: a review of current findings. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2020; 18:155-164. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14779072.2020.1745632
Palmieri A, Silvani M, Giammusso B, et al. A “real life” investigation on the prescriptive habits among Italian andrologists: The “CONSER” survey from Italian Society of Andrology (SIA) on Sildenafil oral film. Arch Ital Urol Androl. 2019; 91:115-118. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/aiua.2019.2.115
Hansen SA, Aas E, Solli O. A cost-utility analysis of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Eur J Heal Econ. 2020; 21:73-84. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-019-01112-8
Muneer A, Ralph DJ, Minhas S. Sildenafil citrate (ViagraTM). J Drug Eval. 2003; 1:225-246.
Rubio-Aurioles E, Reyes LA, Borregales L, et al. A 6 month, prospective, observational study of PDE5 inhibitor treatment persistence and adherence in Latin American men with erectile dysfunction. Curr Med Res Opin. 2013;29:695-706. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1185/03007995.2013.791262
Raheem AA, Kell P. Patient preference and satisfaction in erectile dysfunction therapy: A comparison of the three phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors sildenafil, vardenafil and tadalafil. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2009; 3:99-104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S3349
Wright PJ. Comparison of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors. Int J Clin Pract. 2006; 60:967-975. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-1241.2006.01049.x
Cantrell MA, Baye J, Vouri SM. Tadalafil: A Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor for benign prostatic hyperplasia. Pharmacotherapy. 2013;33:639-649. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/phar.1243
Montorsi F, Brock G, Stolzenburg JU, et al. Effects of tadalafil treatment on erectile function recovery following bilateral nervesparing radical prostatectomy: A randomised placebo-controlled study (REACTT). Eur Urol. 2014;65:587-596. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2013.09.051
van Ahlen H, Zumbé J, Stauch K, Hanisch JU. The real-life safety and efficacy of Vardenafil (REALISE) study: results in men from Europe and Overseas with erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular or metabolic conditions. J Sex Med. 2010; 7:3161-3169. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2010.01921.x
Mulhall JP, McLaughlin TP, Harnett JP, et al. Medication utilization behavior in patients receiving phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors for erectile dysfunction. J Sex Med. 2005; 2:848-855. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2005.00149.x
Eardley I, Mirone V, Montorsi F, et al. An open-label, multicentre, randomized, crossover study comparing sildenafil citrate and tadalafil for treating erectile dysfunction in men naïve to phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor therapy. BJU Int. 2005; 96:1323-1332. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-410X.2005.05892.x
Lee J, Pommerville P, Brock G, et al. Physician-rated patient preference and patient- and partner-rated preference for tadalafil or sildenafil citrate: Results from the Canadian “Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction” observational study. BJU Int. 2006; 98:623-629. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-410X.2006.06384.x
Maretti C, Privitera S, Arcaniolo D, et al. COVID-19 pandemic and its implications on sexual life: Recommendations from the Italian society of andrology. Arch Ital Urol Androl. 2020; 92:73-77. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4081/aiua.2020.2.73
Karagöz MA, Gül A, Borg C, et al. Influence of COVID-19 pandemic on sexuality: a cross-sectional study among couples in Turkey. Int J Impot Res. 2020 Dec 16:1-9. doi: 10.1038/s41443-020-00378-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-020-00378-4

How to Cite

Değer, M. D. ., & Madendere, S. . (2021). Erectile dysfunction treatment with Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitors: Google trends analysis of last 10 years and COVID-19 pandemic. Archivio Italiano Di Urologia E Andrologia, 93(3), 361–365. https://doi.org/10.4081/aiua.2021.3.361

PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.