The association between uric acid and erectile dysfunction: A systematic review and Meta-analysis.

The main purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to explore the association between uric acid (UA) and erectile dysfunction (ED). Databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were retrieved to identify studies published in English up to 31 June 2021. We preregistered this meta-analysis in the PROSPERO (registration number CRD42021267035). Two independent authors extracted the relevant data from all enrolled articles. We evaluated the quality of enrolled studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The standardized mean difference (SMD), as well as the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs), was used to assess the difference between ED patients and healthy subjects. A total of five studies were enrolled for our meta-analysis to explore the association of UA with ED. The pooled SMD of the UA level difference between ED patients and healthy subjects was 0.42 (95% CI:0.09, 0.74, p < 0.001). There were no individual data that significantly influenced the pooled SMDs in the sensitivity analysis. There was no evidence of publication bias. This novel meta-analysis confirmed that UA was an independent risk factor for ED, which suggested that the erectile function of patients with elevated uric acid should be evaluated by clinicians.