＜Is ED a sign of lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes and hypertension? More than 70% of men who are aware of their condition do not seek medical attention eHealth clinic Shinjuku conducts survey on ED

eHealth clinic Shinjuku (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) conducted a survey on ED (erectile dysfunction/erectile dysfunction) among 183 people living in Japan.

The length of time it took from noticing ED to seeing a doctor

ED is considered to be a common disease among middle-aged and older adults, and is often viewed as an effect of aging or temporary stress.

From this survey, it became clear that while there are those who are aware of ED not only in middle-aged and older people but also in younger people, more than 70% of those who experience symptoms do not see a doctor. The survey also revealed that the relationship between lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes and ED is not well understood.

What is ED?

According to an international study on ED, the prevalence of moderate to complete ED in Japan is 34.0%, and the prevalence rate tends to increase with age. The prevalence of ED in Japan is higher than in other countries.

Causes of ED include not only aging and temporary stress, but also lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and male menopause (LOH syndrome). Physical factors such as vascular and nerve damage and low testosterone levels can cause ED symptoms; if left untreated, ED can exacerbate these diseases and lead to systemic health risks. If there is even the slightest suspicion of ED, early consultation and appropriate treatment are important.

■Summary of the survey conducted at our clinic

Name of the survey ：Attitude survey on ED

Date ： September 10 - 24, 2025

Method ：Anonymous survey via the Internet

Number of subjects ：183 men aged 10-60+ (general consumers nationwide)

More than 70% of respondents said they have not seen a doctor even if they are aware of ED, which is spreading to younger age groups.

As for the age at which they became aware of ED, 60.1% of the respondents were in their 30s or younger, indicating that ED is a disease that can occur even in younger age groups. On the other hand, 72.7% of respondents who were aware of ED did not seek medical attention, revealing a tendency not to seek medical attention immediately after experiencing ED symptoms.

The top reasons given for not visiting a medical institution were "Too shy to ask for help" and "Treatment cost seems too high," indicating psychological and financial hurdles to seeing a doctor. In addition, 21.7% of respondents answered "Because I think it will improve naturally," indicating that there are a certain number of people who think that ED is a temporary symptom and that there is no need to see a doctor.

Age at which respondents became aware of ED

Regarding the age at which they became aware of their ED, 33.9% of the respondents were in their 30s, followed by 26.2% in their 20s or younger. On the other hand, 25.1% of respondents in their "40s" and 11.5% in their "50s" were less likely than younger respondents in their "30s" or younger.

The length of time it took from noticing ED to seeing a doctor

Only 3.8% of respondents visited a medical institution immediately after noticing ED symptoms, and 12.0% visited a medical institution within a few months. On the other hand, those who have not yet seen a doctor accounted for the highest percentage at 72.7%, indicating that all age groups tend not to see a medical institution immediately even if they are aware of their ED.

Reasons for not seeing a doctor

The most common reason for not seeing a medical institution even after noticing ED symptoms was "Too embarrassed to discuss it," at 57.2%. This was followed by "Because it seems expensive" at 41.4%, indicating that economic reasons are also a hurdle to seeing a doctor. In addition, 21.7% responded "because I think it will improve naturally" and 20.4% responded "because I am concerned about the effectiveness of the treatment.

ED may be a sign of diabetes, etc. Lack of awareness is an issue

ED is not simply a sign of aging, but may also be a sign of lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, and physical factors often affect ED. ED may also be caused by male menopause (LOH syndrome), which results in a decrease in male hormones.

However, less than 30% of respondents indicated that "male menopause," "diabetes," "hypertension," and "dyslipidemia" cause ED, indicating that the relationship between ED and male menopause and lifestyle-related diseases is not well understood. In addition, less than 6% of respondents selected "cardiac disease," "chronic kidney disease," and other underlying diseases as causes of ED, highlighting the fact that the relationship between ED and underlying diseases is not well known.

Factors known as possible causes of ED

When asked what they know about diseases and factors that can cause ED, 76.0% of the respondents answered "stress and lifestyle. On the other hand, only 26.2% of respondents were aware of "male menopause (LOH syndrome)," 23.5% of respondents were aware of "diabetes," 15.3% of respondents were aware of "hypertension," and 13.1% of respondents were aware of "dyslipidemia. Most respondents were unaware that underlying medical conditions could cause ED, with 6.0% reporting "heart disease" and 3.3% reporting "chronic kidney disease.

■If you have symptoms of ED, consult a medical institution first.

Since lifestyle-related diseases and underlying medical conditions may be the cause of ED, it is important to consult a doctor as soon as possible after noticing symptoms of ED. In recent years, online medical treatment has become popular, with 45.8% of those who have received treatment for ED saying that they used online medical treatment. Online medical care is an effective option for those who are hesitant to see a doctor due to embarrassment or psychological burden because of a sense of security in terms of privacy.

In addition, more than half of the working-age respondents in their 30s and 40s indicated that they use online medical services. Since online consultations can be done from the comfort of one's home or other locations, we found that those of this generation who are busy with work, child-rearing, and other activities tend to choose online consultations.

Method of receiving ED treatment

Of those who received ED treatment, 8.3% used both face-to-face and online treatment, while 37.5% used only online treatment. By generation, 55.5% of those in their 30s and 58.3% of those in their 40s used online medical care.

If you are hesitant to see a doctor due to psychological reasons or time constraints, it is important to consider using online medical services and consult a medical institution as early as possible. eHealth clinic Shinjuku offers online ED treatment. Please refer to the following URL for details.

https://ehealthclinic.jp/steminfo/ed/5780/

Clinic Overview

eHealth clinic Shinjuku

eHealth clinic Shinjuku is located a 1-minute walk from Shinjuku Sanchome Station and offers a wide range of medical services centering on internal medicine, nephrology, and urology. The clinic is particularly focused on ED treatment, and prescribes therapeutic drugs such as Viagra and Cialis after counseling according to the patient's physical condition and lifestyle.

In addition, we also offer a treatment plan that aims for fundamental improvement by carefully examining underlying diseases such as low testosterone levels and diabetes, etc. As a different approach from PDE5 inhibitors, we also offer "exstem," a cream containing 6,000 mg of stem cell supernatant solution with evidence of improvement in male function. We can also offer "exstem", a cream containing 6,000 mg of exosome supernatant fluid, which has been proven to improve male function. For details, please refer to the following URL

https://ehealthclinic.jp/column/44359/

Clinic name: eHealth clinic Shinjuku

Location: Shinjuku-dori Toyo Bldg. 3F, 2-6-4 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Director ： Hoichi Amano

Opening ： April 2022

Telephone number ： 03-5315-0514

Official Web site: https://ehealthclinic.jp/

＜References

Alfredo Nicolosi, Edson D Moreira Jr, Masafumi Shirai, Mohd Ismail Bin Mohd Tambi, Dale B Glasser.Epidemiology of erectile dysfunction in four Urology,2003,61,1,p.201-6