Erectile dysfunction in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics in Italy

Background Several studies reported data on the increased risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) in populations of diabetic men, but few presented data sep arately for Type 1 and Type 2 subjects. No comparison data for these diabet ic subgroups are available with regard to risk factors for ED. Methods Eligible for the study were men aged 20-69 years with a diagnosis o f insulin-dependent (Type 1) or non-insulin-dependent (Type 2) diabetes who were observed on randomly selected days in 178 diabetes centres in Italy. Erectile dysfunction was defined as a failure to achieve and maintain an er ection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. Results The study population consisted of 1383 Type 1 and 8373 Type 2 men. The prevalence of ED increased with age for both groups. After taking into account the effect of age Type 2 men (37/100 men) tend to report ED less fr equently than Type 1 men (51/100 men). A significant positive relationship was reported between ED and poor metabolic control and smoking for both Typ e 1 and Type 2 men, whereas high body mass index (BMI) increased only the r isk of ED in Type 1 cases. Conclusions The study offers a quantitative estimate of the prevalence of E D and its main risk factors in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic subgroups.