Evaluation of Erectile Dysfunction in Prediabetic Males at Tertiary Care Center in Central India

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a well-studied entity in diabetes mellitus (DM). As with DM, prediabetes also appears to be associated with changes in microvascular-related comorbidities. These include retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy, and ED. ED is a condition characterized by an inability to maintain penile erection for adequate sexual activity, either consistently or recurrently. Endothelial damage due to any cause corresponding to hyperglycemia signifies the relationship between prediabetes and ED. While the evaluation of ED in diabetics has been extensively studied worldwide, there is a paucity of knowledge about ED among prediabetics.

The study type was observational and was conducted at a tertiary center in India. Adult males aged 18-50 years with prediabetes were included in the study over a duration of 18 months. Evaluation for ED was performed using the International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF-5).

A total of 139 participants were enrolled in the present study. The severity of ED was categorized as follows: 32.4% of participants had mild ED, 11.5% had mild-to-moderate ED, and 6.5% had moderate ED. A positive association was found between prediabetes-related parameters and ED.

There is a significant prevalence of ED in prediabetic males compared to the general population, as found in our study. Overall, 50.3% of participants were found to have ED. We recommend exploring this subject with more structured and larger studies.