April 8, 2024 -- Little blue pill meets a little blue light.
A mobile app can improve erectile function, according to new research presented at the European Association of Urology (EAU) Annual Congress today.
Researchers developed a 12-week, self-managed program to treat erectile dysfunction. The program is delivered to patients' mobile devices and encourages users to do cardiovascular training, pelvic floor exercises, and a type of physical therapy called physiotherapy. It also provides information about erectile dysfunction, sexual therapy, and stress management.
Treating erectile dysfunction through physical activity and/or lifestyle changes is recommended in European guidelines but is not well established in clinical practice, according to the researchers.
App or Waitlist
The app, known as Kranus Edera, was created by Kranus Health. It is available by prescription in Germany and France.
To study the effectiveness of the app, investigators conducted a randomized controlled trial at the University Hospital Münster in Münster, Germany.
The study included 241 men who had scores of 21 or less on the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5). The index rates levels of erectile dysfunction, from 22-25, which means no dysfunction to 5-7, which means severe dysfunction. A score of 21 means mild erectile dysfunction.
About half of the participants were randomly assigned to get the app. The rest were placed on a waiting list for the technology and served as a control group.
After 12 weeks, those who received the app reported significantly greater improvement on the scale.
Men who received the app also reported gains in measures of quality of life).
The app is meant to save doctors time by providing patients with detailed explanations and guidance within the app itself, said Laura Wiemer, MD, senior medical director of Kranus.
The app helps reinforce guideline-recommended approaches to the treatment of erectile dysfunction "in playful ways with awards, motivational messages, and individual adjustments to help achieve better adherence and compliance of the patient," Wiemer said.
Kranus plans to expand to the United States in 2024, she said.
