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Erectile Dysfunction and Diabetes: An Unexpected Connection

Some experts estimate that between 30-75% of men who suffer from diabetes will eventually experience some degree of erectile dysfunction during their lives.

For a man suffering from erectile dysfunction (ED) nothing is more frustrating than not understanding why or how it started in the first place. What many men don’t realize is that something like ED can actually be a warning for another problem entirely: diabetes.

Though there are millions of people around the world who suffer from diabetes, a great many are not thoroughly educated to understand the ways it can affect the body.

Diabetes is a condition that impacts how your body's organs process food and how the body is able to metabolize that food into energy. Specifically, diabetes wreaks havoc on the pancreas, which is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels. Among its many symptoms, diabetes has been specifically linked to erectile dysfunction.

What Is Erectile Dysfunction

Usually, erectile dysfunction refers to a man's inability to either get or sustain an erection. Despite what many believe, impotence is not a typical factor of aging. Diabetes is one of many potential causes for erectile dysfunction. Some experts estimate that between 30-75% of men who suffer from diabetes will eventually experience some degree of erectile dysfunction during their lives.

How Is Diabetes Linked To Erectile Dysfunction?

In order to understand how diabetes can be linked to erectile dysfunction, it is important to first understand how a man gets and sustains an erection.

During arousal, a man obtains an erection through blood vessels, nerves and hormones.
When sexually stimulated, impulses are sent through the nerves.
Return impulses are sent back to the penis and release a chemical called acetylcholine, which helps to induce an erection.

Diabetes can often cause damage to the blood vessels and nerves that are needed to for a man to get an erection. When this damage occurs, the nerves cannot properly relay messages within the penis. This leads to an inability of the body to release acetylcholine, ultimately resulting in impotence.

Another problem that occurs is a lack of blood sugar control. If there are abnormal levels of blood sugar, the body is unable to produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a special compound that helps close off penile veins to ensure that blood is “trapped” to create an erection.

What Can Be Done?

Much can be done to prevent diabetes from causing damage to the nerves and blood vessels that help a man obtain an erection. If damage to these nerves and blood vessels has already occurred, there are steps you can take to keep the damage from becoming worse.

Try to control your blood sugar levels. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, diabetes affects the ability of your pancreas to control your body's blood sugar levels. However, you can maintain good blood sugar levels. Doing so is likely to help prevent damage occurring in the blood vessels and nerves that are involved in an erection.
If you smoke regularly, try to stop. Tobacco can result in blood vessels developing blockages. These blockages can lead to erectile dysfunction.
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can also impair a man's ability to get or sustain an erection. While one or two drinks a day is not likely to have any impact, drinking excessively can damage the blood vessels.
If you have not already done so, speak to your doctor about erectile dysfunction. Though you might be slightly embarrassed to discuss the problem, your doctor is a professional who can provide you with invaluable information.
Chances are, if your doctor is aware that you suffer from diabetes, he will also realize there is a high likelihood of erectile dysfunction because of its prevalence.

If you or someone you love is dealing with erectile dysfunction as a result of diabetes, it is important that you understand how the two conditions may be linked. Once you have identified the issue and its potential causes, speak to your doctor about cures and preventative steps you can take. Often times, inability to produce an erection as a result of diabetes is not a permanent problem.

Published: 12/19/2007, Last Updated: 12/19/2007

By LocateADoc.com Medical Staff Writers

Our writers strive to present an objective, upfront and open view of the medical procedures you're interested in. We present you with both the good and bad, and work to represent both doctors' and patients' points of view. Our articles contain facts and statistics obtained from medical associations, medical and surgical journals, and through doctor and patient interviews.

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