Sildenafil for Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction in Men With Diabetes

IABETES MELLITUS AFFECTS AN estimated 15.7 million people in the United States, including 7.5 million men, with type 2, non-insulin-dependent, diabetes accounting for 90% to 95% of the diagnosed cases and type 1, insulindependent, diabetes accounting for 5% to 10%. 1 A common complication of diabetes in men is erectile dysfunction (ED), defined by the National Institutes of Health Consensus Panel on Impotence as the persistent inability to attain and maintain an erection sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual activity. 2he prevalence of ED of any degree in men aged 40 to 70 years was estimated to be 52% in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS), with a prevalence of 25% for moderate ED and 10% for complete ED (ie, no erections). 3The prevalence of ED is age dependent, with the rate of complete ED increasing from 5% among men aged 40 years to 15% among those aged 70 years. 3rectile dysfunction in men with diabetes is often associated with diabetic neuropathy and peripheral vascular disease. 4,5It occurs at an earlier age in men with diabetes than in men