Sexual medicine
Inflammatory burden index predicts arteriogenic erectile dysfunction: a mediation analysis involving the TyG index
By Dou X, Gao P, Wang H and 7 others.
Abstract
Introduction
Inflammation and metabolic dysregulation play important roles in the pathophysiology of erectile dysfunction. The inflammatory burden index (IBI), a composite biomarker integrating C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophils, and lymphocytes, has emerged as a marker of systemic inflammatory load. However, the association between IBI and arteriogenic erectile dysfunction (AED) remains largely unexplored. To investigate the association between IBI and AED and to examine whether insulin resistance (IR), assessed by the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, mediates this relationship.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, men aged 18-65 years were consecutively recruited from the local hospital between April 2023 and November 2025. Erectile function was assessed using the 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5), nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity monitoring, and penile color Doppler ultrasonography. Multivariable logistic regression models were applied to evaluate the association between IBI and AED. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the predictive performance of inflammatory markers. Mediation analysis was conducted to explore the potential mediating role of IR using the TyG index.