Erections Hard to Come By for Diabetic Men

Erections Hard to Come By for Diabetic Men
Report: Nine men out of 10 who have diabetes also have erectile dysfunction.
If you have diabetes and erectile dysfunction, getting the former under control is the first step toward relieving the latter
By Trevor Thieme
RODALE NEWS EMMAUS, PA
06-01-09

http://www.rodale.com/print/1048
http://www.rodale.com/diabetes-and-erectile-dysfunction?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2009_06_02-_-Top5-_-NA

As if an increased risk of heart disease, kidney damage, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s disease weren’t enough, men with diabetes must also contend with disproportionately high rates of erectile dysfunction (ED), according to a recent analysis of diabetes studies in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Diabetic ED is also frequently more severe than nondiabetic ED, making proper diagnosis and treatment crucial.

THE DETAILS: The researchers reviewed more than 130 studies that investigated the link between erectile dysfunction and type 2 diabetes. They found that ED was three times more common, and typically occurred 10 to 15 years earlier, in diabetic men than in nondiabetic men. What’s more, up to 12 percent of men who seek help for ED also have previously undiagnosed diabetes, suggesting that ED can be an early warning sign for the disease. In all, up to 90 percent of men who have diabetes also have erectile dysfunction, and their ED is often more resistant to treatment than that of nondiabetic men.

WHAT IT MEANS: If you have diabetes, the severity of your erectile dysfunction is directly related to how well you manage your disease. “ED is a thermometer of the condition,” says Ridwan Shabsigh, MD, director of the division of urology at Maimondides Medical Center, in Brooklyn, and author of Sensational Sex in 7 Easy Steps: The Proven Plan for Enhancing Your Sexual Function and Achieving Optimum Health (Rodale, 2007). “The more you have it under control, the more responsive your erectile dysfunction will be to treatment.”

To read the full article: http://www.rodale.com/diabetes-and-erectile-dysfunction?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2009_06_02-_-Top5-_-NA