Frequency and determinants of erectile dysfunction in Turkish diabetic men

Erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence is a sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis during sexual performance. ED is observed more frequently and manifests earlier in diabetic patients compared to the normal population.

One hundred and seventeen consecutive male type 2 diabetes patients seen in our Diabetes Outpatient Clinic were included in our study and these patients were evaluated in terms of the presence and duration of ED, treatment and response to treatment of ED, duration of diabetes mellitus, HbA1c levels, and the presence of microalbuminuria, estimated from 24-hour urine collections.

The patients included in our study were divided into three groups: Patients with no ED, mild-to-moderate ED, and severe ED. Twenty-nine patients (24.8%) fell in the no ED group, 28 (23.9%) in the mild-to-moderate ED group, and 60 (51.3%) in the severe ED group. There were statistically significant differences between these three groups in terms of age ( P = 0.015) and duration of diabetes mellitus ( P = 0.03). The groups were similar in terms of microalbuminuria measured from 24-hour urine collections and HbA1c levels ( P = 0.328 and P = 0.905, respectively). Twenty-three of the 88 patients with ED (26.1%) were on ED treatment and 43.5% of these patients reported benefit from the therapy.

Age and duration of diabetes were the main determinants of the presence and severity of ED in male Turkish type 2 diabetic patients. The HbA1c levels were higher in patients with ED, but the differences in levels between the groups did not reach statistical significance.