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Associations between erectile dysfunction and undiagnosed hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes mellitus (2015-10-06)

Over the past decade, evidence has suggested that erectile dysfunction is an early indicator for cardiovascular disease. In light of this association, erectile dysfunction has been described as providing a “window of curability” for men at risk for future cardiovascular disease.
Researchers studied the association between erectile dysfunction and undiagnosed hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes mellitus in a nationally representative sample of men.

They analyzed cross-sectional data from men aged 20 years and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2001–2004.
Erectile dysfunction was determined by a single, validated survey question. They used logistic regression analyses to investigate the relationship between erectile dysfunction and undiagnosed hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes.

After multivariate adjustment, men with erectile dysfunction had more than double the odds of having undiagnosed diabetes, whereas no association was seen for undiagnosed hypertension or undiagnosed hypercholesterolemia.

For the average man aged 40 to 59 years, the predicted probability of having undiagnosed diabetes increased from 1 in 50 in the absence of erectile dysfunction to 1 in 10 in the presence of erectile dysfunction.
Men with erectile dysfunction, particularly those who are middle-aged, should be made aware of their potential for having underlying diabetes and be encouraged to obtain screening.

In the same vein, physicians should be vigilant in obtaining sexual histories in middle-aged men and screening those with erectile dysfunction for diabetes.

For more information
Annals of Family Medicine

MDN