Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Paper
  • Published:

Development and evaluation of an abridged, 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) as a diagnostic tool for erectile dysfunction

Abstract

An abridged five-item version of the 15-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) was developed (IIEF-5) to diagnose the presence and severity of erectile dysfunction (ED). The five items selected were based on ability to identify the presence or absence of ED and on adherence to the National Institute of Health's definition of ED. These items focused on erectile function and intercourse satisfaction. For 1152 men (1036 with ED, 116 controls) analyzed, a receiver operating characteristic curve indicated that the IIEF-5 is an excellent diagnostic test. Based on equal misclassification rates of ED and no ED, a cutoff score of 21 (range of scores, 5–25) discriminated best (sensitivity=0.98, specificity=0.88). ED was classified into five severity levels, ranging from none (22–25) through severe (5–7). Substantial agreement existed between the predicted and ‘true’ ED classes (weighted kappa=0.82). These data suggest that the IIEF-5 possesses favorable properties for detecting the presence and severity of ED.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rosen, R., Cappelleri, J., Smith, M. et al. Development and evaluation of an abridged, 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) as a diagnostic tool for erectile dysfunction. Int J Impot Res 11, 319–326 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3900472

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3900472

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links