OBJECTIVES The Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) is a widely used scale for the screening and diagnosis of erectile dysfunction (ED). Our objective was to incorporate the SHIM into our prostate cancer screening program to estimate the prevalence of ED among men Screened for prostate cancer.METHODS During September 2006, men younger than 75 years of age living in the Washington, DC area were invited to participate in the George Washington University Prostate Cancer Screening Program. The SHIM questionnaire was administered to all participants. Information regarding primary care physician use, phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor use, serum prostate-specific antigen levels, and digital rectal examination findings was also obtained. Those who registered SHIM scores of 17 or less or who were taking a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor were considered to have ED.RESULTS Overall, 333 men attended the program. Of the 328 men, 123 (37.5%) met Our definition of ED; 30 (9%),were using a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor and 93 (28%) had an SHIM score of 17 or less. Univariate analysis Suggested a significant difference in the prevalence of ED between African-American men and non-African-American men, with 25% and 41%, respectively, found to have a SHIM score of 17 or less (P < .01); however, this difference was not significant once we controlled for age (P > .05). Among our participants, 33% lacked a primary care physician. Of these, 22% had a SHIM score of 17 or less.CONCLUSIONS The results of our Study have shown that ED increases in a nonlinear fashion with age, consistent with the findings of previous reports. Of greater concern, however, given the strong association between ED and cardiovascular disease, was the number of those with ED who lacked a primary care physician. UROLOGY 74: 89-93, 2009. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc.

A83 Introduction: Penile erection is the result of a series of neurological and vasculogenic responses to a psychological and peripheral stimulation. Erectile dysfunction is defined as a consistent and recurrent inability of a man to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory performance of intercourse. The Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) is a widely used scale for screening and diagnosis of erectile dysfunction (ED). It has serve as a formidable tool to assess ED outcomes after primary treatment for prostate cancer. Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of ED among men screened for prostate cancer Methods: During September of 2006, men younger than 75 years living in the Washington metropolitan area were invited to participate in the George Washington University Prostate Cancer Screening Program. Assessment of erectile function was performed by evaluation of the patient9s Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM), which constitutes essentially the erectile function domain of the International Index of Erectile Dysfunction (ED) that has been well documented, validated and scores between 1 and 25. SHIM questionnaires were administered along with measurement of serum PSA levels and a digital rectal exam. Men who registered SHIM scores of 17 or less were considered to have erectile dysfunction. Results: The ethnic composition of men who participated in the screening was as follows. Overall, 333 men attended the invitation. Of these, 61% were African-Americans (AA), 30% Caucasians, 5% Hispanics, and 4% were of Asian ethnicity. Thirty-four percent lived in the District of Columbia, 48% in Maryland and 18% were from Virginia. Five of the 333 did not complete the SHIM questionnaire. Thirty men (9%) reportedly used a PDE5 inhibitor at the time of the survey. There was a significant difference in the overall prevalence of ED between AA vs non-AA as 25% and 41% respectively were found to have SHIM scores