Is ethnicity and religion an aetiological factor in men with rapid ejaculation?

Rapid ejaculation has an estimated prevalence of 20 – 30%. Aetiological features remain unknown. Our clinical impression was that men from Muslim and Asian backgrounds attended our clinic for help and treatment more than those from other cultural groups. The aim of this study was to perform a retrospective analysis of men who had sought treatment for rapid ejaculation over the last 3 years. We identified 116 patients who met the DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of rapid ejaculation. We reviewed the self-reported intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT) and used a cut-off of <3 minutes in our analysis. Demographic and clinical data were collected from the clinical notes. Self-reported ethnicity, occupation, IELT and age were identified. We compared this data with men presenting to the same clinic but with a diagnosis of erectile dysfunction only. Eighty-nine percent of patients who reported rapid ejaculation (and met the criteria or DSM-IV and IELT of <3 minutes) reported their religion as Muslim; 72% of men were from Bangladesh. The median self-reported IELT was less than 30 seconds after intravaginal intromission. The majority of men who attend the clinic for advice concerning rapid ejaculation are Bangladeshi Muslims. The reasons are unclear. We contend that possible aetiological features include psychosocial and environmental influences.