A study of correlation between serum testosterone level and penile blood flow in male diabetic patients with erectile dysfunction

Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) constitutes a large burden on society because of its high prevalence and impact on quality of life. One common cause of organic ED is diabetes. In diabetes, prevalence of ED lies between 35% to 85% depending on the study whereas in normal population ED prevalence is around 26%. Serum testosterone level and penile blood flow closely related to each other as well as to ED. Material and methods: It was a hospital-based cross –sectional study. Patients were divided into 4 categories according to International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-5 questionnaire : mild ED - score 17 to 21, mild-to-moderate ED - score 12 to 16, moderate ED - score 8 to 11 and severe ED - score 1 to 7. The presence of ED and its severity was correlated with age, duration of diabetes, lipid profile, glycemic status, complications, body mass index (BMI), Serum testosterone level, penile blood flow etc. Results: Prevalence of ED in male diabetes patients was found to be 69.28%. 17 had mild ED (17.6%), 27 had mild-to-moderate (27.8%), 24 had moderate ED (24.7%) and 29 had severe ED (29.9%) among 97 cases with ED. Prevalence of ED was found to be proportional to age. Most cases were associated with long-standing diabetes (>10 years) in ED group. ED was correlated with complications of diabetes like nephropathy, neuropathy and retinopathy but the correlation was not statistically significant. Statistically significant correlation of ED was found with FBS, PPBS & HbA1C. Significant correlation of ED was found with serum testosterone level and penile blood flow. Statistically significant correlation was also found between serum testosterone level and penile blood flow. Conclusion: ED prevalence among the diabetes patients increased with age and duration of the diabetes. Glycemic status was significantly associated with development of ED. Penile blood flow was significantly lesser in ED group. Serum testosterone level was below normal limits in most of ED patients. In patients with decreased serum testosterone level, penile blood flow was also decreased.