Prevalence and associations of erectile dysfunction in a sample of Italian males with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) in a sample of type 2 diabetic patients. As secondary endpoint, we evaluated the levels of some adipocytokines in patients with and without ED.

Material and methods: We enrolled 220 males affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus. We administered the IIEF (International Index of Erectile Function), SAS (self-rating anxiety scale) and SDS (self-rating depression scale) questionnaires. We evaluated body mass index, glycemic control, fasting plasma insulin (FPI), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), lipid profile, sexual hormones, adiponectin (ADN), resistin, retinol binding protein-4 (RBP-4), visfatin, vaspin.

Results: 52.9% of patients were affected by ED. Patients with a HbA1c <7% (53 mmol/mol) in all measurements in the two previous years had a lower incidence of ED, while the prevalence of ED increased with the increasing of times HbA1c was >7% (53 mmol/mol). Patients with ED had higher levels of triglycerides, and higher levels of FPI, 9.9 μU/ml vs 8.2 μU/ml (p<0.05). Resistin levels were higher in patients with ED compared to those without ED (p<0.05) and free testosterone was lower in patients affected by ED.

Conclusions: Almost half of type 2 diabetic patients attending our clinic were affected by ED and glycemic control seems to play a role in ED pathogenesis.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01049750.

Keywords: Erectile dysfunction; Hypertriglyceridemia; Insulin resistance; NCT01049750, ClinicalTrials.gov; Type 2 diabetes mellitus.