Premature Ejaculation Linked to Chlamydia in Prostatitis Patients

Chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP) caused by Chlamydia trachomatis is associated with a greater likelihood of premature ejaculation than CBP due to infection with other bacteria, according to a recent report.

Tommaso Cai, MD, of Santa Chiara Regional Hospital in Trento, Italy, and colleagues compared 317 patients diagnosed with C. trachomatis CBP (group A) with 639 patients with CBP caused by other uropathogic bacteria (group B). PE was identified in 118 men in group A (37.2%) and 73 (11.5%) in group B, a significant difference in prevalence, Dr. Cai's team reported online ahead of print in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Compared with group B, group A showed significantly higher scores on the PE Diagnostic Tool test (11.3 vs. 4.5) and lower scores on the Short Form-36 tool (96.5 vs. 99.7). After adjusting for age, smoking status, body mass index and education level, CBP due to C. trachomatis infection was associated with 3.2 times higher odds of PE compared with CBP due to other bacterial infections.

Previous research has suggest that CBP is an important organic cause of PE, given the role of the prostate in the ejaculation mechanism, Dr. Cai and his colleagues pointed out. In addition, they noted that C. trachomatis is not frequently assessed in men with CBP, but it has been accepted as an etiologic agent of CBP, and testing for this bacterium is highly recommended.

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