ArticleSexual medicine2023
Erectile dysfunction in copper and cobalt miners: a cross-sectional study in the former Katanga province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Article in Sexual medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Polyethylene terephthalate microplastics impair erectile function through macrophage mediated cGAS-STING ferroptosis.iScience · 2026Article
- Unraveling the Causal Association Between Circulating Copper Levels and Erectile Dysfunction: A Comprehensive Analysis via Bidirectional Two Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.Food science & nutrition · 2025Article
- Occupational, environmental, and toxicological health risks of mining metals for lithium-ion batteries: a narrative review of the Pubmed database.Journal of occupational medicine and toxicology (London, England) · 2024Review
- Concentration of Selected Serum Trace Elements in Male Patients With Diabetic Erectile Dysfunction: A Case-Control Study.American journal of men's healthArticle
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: The African Copperbelt is a site of intense artisanal and industrial mining and refining of copper and cobalt. Aim: We aimed to investigate factors that are possibly associated with erectile dysfunction (ED) in metal miners in the former Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Methods: In a cross-sectional study of 138 miners and 139 controls (bakers), we administered questionnaires to obtain sociodemographic and occupational data and to assess male sexual function (International Index of Erectile Function [IIEF]) and marital relation quality (Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale). Furthermore, we measured trace metals in blood and urine, as well as testosterone and thyroid hormones in serum. Outcomes: Outcomes included the prevalence of questionnaire-derived ED and the relation of ED with individual characteristics, serum testosterone, and environmental factors. Results: Miners were on average 4 years older than bakers (mean ± SD, 37.5 ± 6.9 vs 33.3 ± 5.7 years). Miners had significantly lower scores than bakers on the IIEF (median [IQR], 66 [49-73] vs 73 [66-74]) and the 3 domains of the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (consensus, satisfaction, cohesion). Free testosterone was significantly lower in miners than bakers (ng/dL; 8.11 [6.90-10.10] vs 10.52 [8.83-12.58]; Clinical Implications: The high prevalence of ED found in artisanal mine workers indicates that work-related factors should be considered as possibly contributing, directly or indirectly, to sexual dysfunction in men. Strengths and Limitations: Strengths include being the first epidemiologic study documenting ED with validated questionnaires and its possible determinants, including exposure to toxic metals, among young artisanal miners vs a suitable control group. Limitations are the cross-sectional design with convenience sampling and absence of objective confirmation of ED. Conclusion: As compared with controls, miners reported poorer sexual function and lower quality of their marital relationship, and they had lower free testosterone levels, which may be due to their high exposure to trace metals.
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