Influence of Androgen Receptor Gene CAG and GGC Polymorphisms on Male Sexual Function: A Cross-Sectional Study
Giacomo Tirabassi, Giovanni Corona, Sara Falzetti, Nicola delli Muti, Mario Maggi, Giancarlo Balercia
International Journal of Endocrinology2016
Summary (paraphrased)
No prior study had assessed the AR GGC repeat in sexual function. In 85 male outpatients evaluated with the IIEF-15, longer CAG repeats correlated inversely with erectile function, orgasmic function, and total IIEF score, while GGC tracts showed no correlation. The CAG relationship held only in eugonadal men, not in hypogonadal men, and in eugonadal subjects logistic regression linked higher CAG number to worse erectile function, orgasmic function, desire, and satisfaction scores independently of confounders including metabolic status. The authors conclude CAG length affects sexual parameters in eugonadal men, while GGC appears uninvolved.
Why it’s in the systems review
The corpus already covers AR repeats in PFS patients (Cauci 2017, Cecchin 2014); this adds the general-population complement — AR CAG length tracking sexual function in eugonadal men, which is exactly the hormonal context of most PFS/PSSD patients (normal testosterone, persistent symptoms). It sharpens the androgen-sensitivity node of the causal model: the same androgen level can mean different receptor signaling depending on CAG length, a candidate explanation for why only a subset of exposed men develop persistent dysfunction.
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