Study of the relationship between male erectile dysfunction and type 2 diabetes mellitus/metabolic syndrome and its components

AIM To study the relationship between erectile dysfunction and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)/metabolic syndrome (MetS). METHODS This prospective study invited male patients with T2DM attending for a routine outpatient check-up to complete two questionnaires. A general questionnaire was used to collect demographic and clinical characteristics, while sexual function was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function scoring system. The prevalence of MetS in this patient population was determined using information from the general questionnaire. Risk factors for erectile dysfunction were identified using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS A total of 175 patients provided valid questionnaires; of these, 148 (84.6%) had MetS. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction was 90.9% (159/175) in the entire survey population compared with 89.2% (132/148) in patients with MetS. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the following risk factors for erectile dysfunction in patients with T2DM and/or MetS: age, blood pressure and duration of diabetes. CONCLUSION These current findings suggest that the MetS and its components have a negative impact on male erectile function.