Ten-year incidence of self-reported erectile dysfunction in people with long-term type 1 diabetes

The purpose of this report is to examine the overall 10-year incidence of erectile dysfunction and its relationships to other characteristics in men with younger onset diabetes.

In a population-based cohort study in southern Wisconsin, a 10-year cumulative incidence of reported erectile dysfunction was obtained in men who were 21 years of age or older, were less than 30 years of age at diagnosis of diabetes, had 10 or more years of diabetes, and were taking insulin (n=264).

Twenty-five percent developed erectile dysfunction. The incidence of erectile dysfunction increased with age (from 10.2% in those 21-29 years of age to 48.6% in those 40 years of age or older, P<.0001) and with increasing duration of diabetes (from 16.0% in those with 11-14 years of diabetes at baseline to 38.2% in those with 25 or more years of diabetes, P=.01). In multivariate analyses, incidence of erectile dysfunction was associated with age [odds ratio (OR) 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06, 1.14], untreated hypertension (OR 5.01, 95% CI, 2.05, 12.27), and a history of smoking (OR 2.41, 95% CI, 1.09, 5.30) at baseline.

These data suggest that cessation of cigarette smoking and tighter control of blood pressure might prevent or delay the onset of erectile dysfunction in persons with type 1 diabetes.