Many men don’t realize that erectile function is actually a weathervane of male health. When a man is unable to get a normal erection, it is important to be more aware that this could be diabetes at work. Likewise, men with diabetes should pay more attention to their erectile function. Once erectile dysfunction occurs, you should go to a regular hospital’s male department or urology department as early as possible. Mr. Song, 40, walked into the male clinic with a sad face: “In the last six months, I feel a significant decline in sexual performance. It is always difficult to get an erection every time you have sex with your wife. Even if I do get an erection, it doesn’t feel hard enough, and my morning erection has decreased significantly, so my wife has a problem with me.”
On the advice of his doctor, Mr. Song underwent a full body checkup and unexpectedly discovered that not only did he have a bad erection, but he was also diagnosed with diabetes. Erectile dysfunction, or the earliest siren of diabetes “Is a bad erection, is the fault of diabetes?” I believe many people have the same doubts. In fact, penile erectile dysfunction (ED, commonly known as impotence) is one of the most common complications of diabetes. Studies show that: the incidence of ED in diabetic patients is as high as 75%, especially in middle-aged male patients, 3 to 5 times higher than in non-diabetic patients. Some experts believe that ED may be the earliest symptom of diabetes, before the typical clinical manifestation of “three more and one less”. So, how does diabetes cause erectile dysfunction? There are many causes of diabetic ED, including underlying vegetative neurovascular disease and psychological factors. Most patients with erectile dysfunction and neuropathic changes related to the impact of hyperglycemia nerve fiber disorders, the feeling of “information” and action “instructions” can not be up and down, ED inevitably occurred, this type of ED belongs to the organic ED. In addition, depression, anxiety and other adverse psychological emotions, is also one of the causes of ED. Diabetic ED, how to cure? As with the treatment of other diabetic complications, blood glucose control, psychological regulation, and lifestyle modification are the basic treatment. Avoid the application of drugs that cause or worsen ED. Under the premise of effective blood sugar control, oral PDE5 inhibitors can be used as the first-line treatment for diabetic ED, such as tadalafil, sildenafil, vardenafil, etc. Foreign studies have shown that treatment of diabetic ED by tadalafil provides significant improvement in all major efficacy indicators regardless of the baseline glycosylated hemoglobin level (HbA1c) of diabetic patients (provided that HbA1c is ≤13%) [1]. This class of drugs has been shown to be effective in patients with diabetic ED, allowing most men to regain their virility and enjoy their sexuality. In addition, a new family of PDE5 inhibitors, once-daily low-dose regimens, have also been shown to improve erectile function and have been well tolerated. For men suffering from ED, regular once-daily treatment can address the planning and time constraints of having to take the medication before sex for fellow men. Taking one capsule daily can help patients achieve consistent and long-lasting results as well as improved erectile function and psychologically relieve men’s anxiety and tension. Patients with diabetic ED are usually accustomed to going to endocrinology to see the primary disease, but ignore the potential hidden worries of ED for themselves; some patients also have the intention to seek treatment but do not know how to ask for help; on the other hand, some endocrinology departments may exist to focus more on the patient’s blood sugar control and the prevention of some classic complications (such as diabetic nephropathy, diabetic retinopathy, etc.), neglecting to talk about the patient’s sexual problems, making the needy patients shy away from talking about it actively. Therefore, we encourage people to go to the hospital for diabetes diagnosis and also take the initiative to go to the male department or urology department for a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of ED problems, so as to be responsible for themselves and for their families.