Sexual function in men with diabetes type 2: Association with glycemic control

Purpose: We evaluated the association of glycemic control with erectile dys function in men with diabetes type 2. Materials and Methods: A convenience sample of men with diabetes type 2 at the Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center completed questions 1 to 5 of the International Index of Erectile Function, The primary outcome measure was erectile function score, calculated as the sum of questions 1 to 5. Det ails of disease duration, complications, medication use, patient age and le vel of glycosylated hemoglobin were obtained by reviewing the medical recor d. Results: Mean subject age plus or minus standard deviation was 62.0 +/- 12. 3 years, mean hemoglobin Ale was 8.1% +/- 1.9% and mean erectile function s core was 16.6 +/- 5.9 (range 5 to 23). Stratified analysis revealed that me an erectile function score decreased as hemoglobin Ale increased (analysis of variance p = 0.002). The test for linearity was also significant (p = 0. 001). There were no statistically significant associations of levels of gly cemic control with alpha-blocker, beta-blocker or diuretic use. Bivariate a nalysis showed a significant correlation of hemoglobin Ale with neuropathy but not with patient age, duration of diabetes, alpha-blockers, beta-blocke rs or diuretics. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that hemoglobin Ale was an independent predictor of erectile function score (p < 0.001) even after adjusting for peripheral neuropathy, which was also an independent predict or (p = 0.023). Conclusions: Our data add to the growing body of literature suggesting that erectile dysfunction correlates with the level of glycemic control. Periph eral neuropathy and hemoglobin Ale but not patient age were independent pre dictors of erectile dysfunction.