Comparison of Risk Factors for Erectile Dysfunction (ED) in Type 2 Diabetics and Nondiabetics: A Retrospective...

We aim to compare the various risk factors for erectile dysfunction (ED) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and nondiabetic patients.

We retrospectively collected and evaluated the data of 175 OPD patients with ED. We included 138 patients of ED from endocrinology and urology OPD after exclusion. ED was assessed by using a questionnaire adapted from the abridged five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) score.

A total of 96 (69.56%) were diabetic, and 42 (30.43%) were nondiabetic. The majority of patients (62.31 %) were in the age group of 40-60 years. Thirty-nine (28.26%) were alcoholics, and 55 (40%) were smokers. The average duration of diabetes was 6.6±1.5 years. Hypertension was present in 49 (35.5%). Diabetic patients were significantly older (47.9±8.2 vs. 40.2±7.6 years, p=0.0001) and obese (BMI (kg/m²), 27.3±5.4 vs. 24.6±3.9, p=0.004). Waist circumference in diabetics was 95.3±10.9, as compared to nondiabetics, which was 89.6±9.2 cm (p=0.0037). The IIEF-5 score was significantly lower in diabetic subjects in comparison to nondiabetics (9.4±3.2 vs. 12.1±3.6 p=0.0001). Moderate-to-severe ED was more common in diabetic patients (76%) in comparison to nondiabetics (59.5%). The prevalence of mild and mild-to-moderate ED was 11.45 % and 12.5 % in diabetic patients in comparison to 16.7% and 23.5% in nondiabetics, respectively. The prevalence of hypertension and coronary artery was higher in diabetics in comparison with nondiabetics. Hypertension was significantly higher in diabetic patients with ED (42.7% vs. 19.04%, p=0.0075), but coronary artery disease was not statistically significant (8.3% vs. 2.3%, p=0.1925). LH (2.6±0.7 vs. 3.5±0, p=0.0001) and testosterone (312.1±110.7 vs. 367.8±115.1, p=0.0081) were significantly lower in diabetics in comparison to nondiabetics.

The IIEF-5 score was lower in diabetic cases as compared to those without diabetes. The factors that significantly contributed to ED in type 2 DM patients, as compared to nondiabetic patients, were age, BMI, waist circumference, hypertension, poor glycemic control, LH, and testosterone levels.