일차의료에서 ADAM-Kor 설문지를 이용한 남성갱년기의 유병률 및 성생활 인식도

Abstract

Background: The translation validity reports on ADAM-Kor (Androgen Deficiency in Aging Male-Korean Version) Questionnaire, which is to screen Korean andropause patients, were recently announced but the related researches have not been carried out as yet. Hereupon, this study was performed on the purpose to analyze the prevalence of andropausal disorder based on ADAM-Kor Questionnaire in primary care, as well as to analyze their cognition about sexual life. Methods: The 2,500 consecutive male patients, who respectively visited at the family-medicine departments in 16 hospitals located around the country, were subject to the questionnaire for 3 weeks from March 2005. They filled the ADAM-Kor Questionnaire and answered about the cognition of sexual life by themselves. Their medical histories were recorded by practitioners, and the records of 2,454 patients (98.2%) were analyzed. Results: In consequence of ADAM-Kor Questionnaire, 2,203 subjects out of the 2,454 showed andropausal symptoms and so the prevalence of andropause indicated a high percentage of 89.8. The prevalence in age category indicated 90.8% (109/120) in subjects in their twenties, and next indicated 92.4% (568/615), 89.7% (761/848) and 89.9% (464/516) in ones in their thirties, forties and fifties, respectively. Patients aged over 60 years indicated 84.8-percent prevalence. Specifically, the prevalence was significantly decreased (p<0.05) in proportion to the increase of age range. In light of such results, it is assumed that the Korean-version questionnaire has some problems. Likewise, patients who were asked on their sexual lives were only 6.9% during one-year study and also patients, who consulted with doctors on their sexual lives, indicated a low percentage of 8.3. Internet accounted for the highest percentage (34.5%) of the information resource of sexual life, and next books (27.7%), TVs (26.1%), peers (20.6%), newspapers (19.4%) and magazines (13.7%) succeeded. The percentage of doctors and pharmacists were 3.5% and 0.9% respectively. The reasons why they avoid consulting with doctors are that they regard their sexual life as no discomfortable, regard their symptoms as an natural aging process, regard such consultations as shameful or regard such symptoms as trivial. Some prioritized disease treatment or stated that doctors are indifferent to their problems. Conclusions: The prevalence of andropause was analyzed by using ADAM-Kor Questionnaire, with the consequence that the questionnaire was judged to be troublesome to perform screening.