Long Covid - what's the prevalence and prognosis?

[Heffalump_and_Roo]

Study on penile erection dystunction after Covid.

https://old.reddit.com/r/science/comments/naok95/covid19_found_in_penile_tissue_could_contribute/

First comment in the thread by ramasamymd claims to be a senior author on the study and mentions a couple other resources.

This was a pilot study demonstrating the COVID virus in the penis tissue upto 7 months after the initial infection. As senior author on this study (https://wjmh.org/DOIx.php?id=10.5534/wjmh.210055) , I wanted to weigh in.

What we know

1. COVID virus can enter the endothelial cells - cells that line the blood vessels supplying blood to the penis
2. Endothelial dysfunction, typically present in men with COVID could be a common denominator for erectile dysfunction
3. COVID19 is NOT sexually transmitted since it is absent in the semen among men who have recovered - our previous study (https://wjmh.org/DOIx.php?id=10.5534/wjmh.200192)

What we don’t know

1. Whether the severity of erectile dysfunction is associated with the severity of COVID
2. The true prevalence of erectile dysfunction among COVID survivors

What should men do

Men who develop erectile dysfunction after COVID should discuss with their doctor if the symptoms persist to discuss treatment options since ED may be due to underlying vascular disease rather than psychological causes. Obviously, do everything possible to avoid getting infected. Email me - ramasamy at miami.edu for further questions