Significance of platelet distribution width as a severity marker of erectile dysfunction

Summary Mean platelet volume ( MPV ) and Platelet distribution width ( PDW ) are potential markers in platelet activation. In present study, we aimed to evaluate MPV and PDW as potential severity markers for those patients who are complaining erectile dysfunction ( ED ). A total of 358 participants were enrolled in this study. The whole cohort was asked to complete the International Index of Erectile Function‐5 ( IIEF ‐5) questionnaire. The participants were classified into 3 groups: control group ( n  = 120), mild ED ( n  = 118) and severe ED ( n  = 120). We found in our cohort MPV and PDW were significantly higher in both mild ED group and severe ED group than control group (9.24 ± 0.70 and 9.71 ± 0.80 versus 8.56 ± 0.62 for MPV ; 14.48 ± 1.29 and 14.98 ± 1.60 versus 12.86 ± 1.13 for PDW respectively). The MPV and PDW increased as the disease progressed. In the mild and severe ED groups, a significant inverse correlation was detected between the mean values of IIEF ‐5 score and PDW . Furthermore, in the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the area under the curve of the MPV and PDW to predict severe ED was 0.818 and 0.848 respectively. Our study establishes a dose‐dependent association between the PDW and ED . Therefore, the PDW can serve as a potential marker for predicting the severity of ED .