Chao, C-H, Chen, H-J, Wang, H-Y et al. · Andrology · 2015 · DOI
This study found that men with ME/CFS are nearly twice as likely to develop erectile dysfunction compared to men without ME/CFS. The risk was even higher in men with ME/CFS who did not have other health conditions like heart disease or diabetes, suggesting ME/CFS alone may play a significant role. The researchers tracked nearly 2,000 men with ME/CFS and compared them to over 7,900 healthy men over several years.
This is one of the few studies documenting sexual dysfunction as a potential systemic complication of ME/CFS in men, expanding recognition of the disease's widespread effects beyond fatigue. Understanding these associations may help clinicians provide more comprehensive care and validate patient experiences of multisystem involvement in ME/CFS.
This study demonstrates association, not causation—it does not prove that ME/CFS directly causes erectile dysfunction. The retrospective design and reliance on insurance billing codes mean actual ME/CFS severity and diagnostic accuracy cannot be verified, and unmeasured factors (medication use, lifestyle, psychological stress) may contribute to the observed association.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Chao, C-H, Chen, H-J, Wang, H-Y, Li, T-C, & Kao, C-H (2015). Increased risk of organic erectile dysfunction in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: a nationwide population-based cohort study.. Andrology. https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.12052
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-chao-2015-increased-risk,
author = {Chao, C-H and Chen, H-J and Wang, H-Y and Li, T-C and Kao, C-H},
title = {Increased risk of organic erectile dysfunction in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: a nationwide population-based cohort study.},
journal = {Andrology},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1111/andr.12052},
note = {PubMed: 26198797},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chao-2015-increased-risk},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chao-2015-increased-risk
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