Men with impaired fasting glucose run a higher risk of erectile dysfunction (ED), hypogonadism (low testosterone), and reduced blood flow to the penis than men with normal glucose levels, according to a new study.
Also, men with impaired fasting glucose and ED tend to have poorer blood pressure and lipid profiles, increasing their risk of cardiovascular disease when compared to men with normal glucose levels.
A person with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) has higher-than-normal glucose levels. However, those levels are not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis. IFG is sometimes referred to as “prediabetes.”
Italian researchers wanted to know how IFG might affect men’s sexual and cardiovascular health.
Almost 3,500 men with sexual dysfunction participated in the retrospective study. All men were given a complete physical exam, and a number of measurements were taken, including blood pressure, body mass index, blood glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides.
Erectile dysfunction was assessed with the 13-item Structured Interview on Erectile Dysfunction (SIEDY). To screen for hypogonadism, researchers used the ANDROTEST, a 12-item structured interview.
Also, each man had a penile color Doppler ultrasound, which was performed during the flaccid state and 20 minutes after an injection of alprostadil, a medication used to diagnose and treat erectile dysfunction.
The researchers found that 21.7% of the patients had diabetes mellitus and 19.1% had impaired fasting glucose. The men in the IFG group had more problems with erectile dysfunction, penile blood flow, and hypogonadism than the men with normal glucose levels. They also had a higher risk for cardiovascular disease due to blood pressure and lipid issues.
Both the diabetes group and the IFG group “were significantly associated with a higher risk of fatal and nonfatal cerebral events.”
The authors note that IFG, like diabetes, can be associated with a number of sexual problems for men. Low testosterone can make these problems even worse.
“Checking glucose and [testosterone] levels is mandatory in subjects with ED because [testosterone] substitution in impotent IFG subjects might ameliorate not only their sexual life but also their overall health,” the authors wrote.
The study was published in the April 10 online edition of The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Resources
American Diabetes Association
“Prediabetes FAQs”
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/pre-diabetes/pre-diabetes-faqs.html#QA-8
HealthDay via MedicalXpress
“Impaired fasting glucose affects male sexual health”
(April 20, 2012)
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-impaired-fasting-glucose-affects-male.html
Journal of Sexual Medicine
Corona, Giovanni, MD, PhD, et al.
“Hormonal Association and Sexual Dysfunction in Patients with Impaired Fasting Glucose: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Study”
(Published online: April 10, 2012)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1743-6109.2012.02717.x/abstract
(Link is for abstract; full-text was accessed.)
MedlinePlus
“Alprostadil Urogenital”
(Last reviewed: September 1, 2010)
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a695022.html