Erectile dysfunction as a marker of impaired fasting blood glucose (IFG)
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Date
2010
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) type II is one of the systemic disorders most frequently associated with erectile
dysfunction (ED). It has been estimated that as many as 75% of men with DM will be confronted with the
problem in about 5 – 10 years earlier than control. Equally, the incidence of impaired glucose tolerance
(IGT) is high and it has been shown that greater than 20% of the population has IGT, while only 10% of
the population develops frank DM in their life time. The aim of this study was to determine the
prevalence of ED in both impaired fasting blood glucose (IFG) and early diabetes mellitus (DM) in a
Nigerian tertiary diabetes treatment centre. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. A total of 420
subjects were recruited for the study by systematic random sampling method. Erectile function domain
(ED) was assessed by a respondent self–rated ‘one through five questions’ of the international index of
erectile function (IIEF). Analysis was done using the glucose oxidase method. IFG was significantly
associated with ED (p < 0.05) as many (56.5%) of the subjects with IFG also had ED. Also, diabetes
mellitus was significantly associated with (p < 0.05) ED. IFG like IGT are not clinical entities, but rather
risk categories for future diabetes with much earlier medical presentation such as ED. This finding has
important clinical implications for primary care physicians asking questions about sexual health with a
dysglycemic screening of ED group for a modification to prevent the disease progression.
Description
Keywords
Erectile dysfunction, impaired fasting glucose, diabetes mellitus