Middle-aged men with erectile dysfunction should be screened for diabetes, a new study suggests.
Doctors have long known that erectile dysfunction in midlife can be an early indicator of cardiovascular disease. A new analysis reports that middle-aged men with erectile dysfunction are at more than double the risk of having undiagnosed diabetes when compared with similar men who do not have erectile problems. Diabetes itself is a risk factor for heart disease.
Researchers analyzed data from 4,519 men, a cross-section of the 21,161 men who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2001 to 2004. This is a nationally representative survey of the resident civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population conducted in two-year cycles. The study pooled the 2001--2002 and 2003--2004 cycles, as these survey waves were the most recent that asked questions regarding erectile dysfunction.
They found that among those 40 to 59 who said they were "never" or only "sometimes" able to maintain an erection, one in 10 had undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes. Among men without erectile problems, the rate was one in 50.
Though researchers found a correlation between erectile dysfunction and undiagnosed high blood pressure, it was not statistically significant; also, men with erectile dysfunction were not at increased risk for having undiagnosed high cholesterol. The report was published in Annals of Family Medicine.
The bottom line? Erectile dysfunction is a medical problem, not just a lifestyle problem, said Dr. Sean C. Skeldon, a resident at the University of Toronto and the paper's first author. "Men need to go talk to the doctor and have the appropriate screening," he said.
ActiveStyle on 08/24/2015