[From the Cochrane Library: Phosphodiesterase inhibitors are effective in treating erectile dysfunction in diabetic...

Erectile dysfunction is a common multifactorial complication of diabetes mellitus. In recent years, phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors have been introduced in the management of erectile dysfunction. A recent Cochrane systematic review assessed the effects ofPDE-5 inhibitors in patients with diabetes mellitus and erectile dysfunction from 8 randomized placebo-controlled trials (a total of 1759 participants). The duration of therapy was mainly 12 weeks. The weighted mean difference (WMD) for the International Index of Erectile Function (erectile dysfunction domain) at the end of the study period was 6.6 in favour of the PDE-5 inhibitors arm. The relative risk for answering 'yes' to a global efficacy question ('did the treatment improve your erections?') was 3.8 in the PDE-5 inhibitors arm compared with the control arm. Headache and flushing were the most common adverse events, followed by flu-like symptoms, dyspepsia, myalgia, vision disorders and lower back pain. The overall risk ratio for developing any adverse reaction was 4.8 in the PDE-5 inhibitors arm as compared to the control arm. It was concluded that sufficient evidence exists that treatment with PDE-5 inhibitors can improve erectile dysfunction in diabetic men.