Study of the Risk Factors of Erectile Dysfunction in Diabetic Subjects at the University Hospital of Libreville

Abstract

Introduction:The objective of this study was to describe the risk factors of erectile dysfunction (ED) in diabetic patients at the University Hospital of Libreville. Material and Methods: This was a prospective descriptive-analytical study of type 1 and 2 diabetic patients aged over 18 years whose erectile function was assessed using the French translation of the IIEF-5 score. Results: 396 patients were selected with a mean age of 53 ± 13.6 years. People with type 2 diabetes represented 84.1% of the cases. Of the patients selected, 186 (47%) had diabetes for less than 5 years. Erectile dysfunction was found in 79.8% of patients (n=316), with a severe form in 19.7% of cases. Among the patients affected, 74.4% (n=235) had not sought medical advice before the onset of ED. Several risk factors were found, such as duration of diabetes (p<0.001), alcohol (p<0.001), diabetic retinopathy (p<0.001), diabetic nephropathy (p=0.004), and heart disease (p=0.004). In multivariate analysis, only advanced age, unbalanced diabetes, alcohol consumption, microangiopathy, mixed degenerative pathology, and duration of diabetes greater than 10 years remained statistically significant in ED. Conclusion: The prevalence of erectile dysfunction is significant in people with diabetes. Several factors associated with ED are clearly identified. They should be sought at the time of diagnosis of diabetes to make patients aware of the risk of ED associated with it. This would allow the physician to talk to the patient about ED, thus short-circuiting any difficulty the patients may have in discussing it voluntarily even when they are suffering from it.