Ethnic Differences in Sexual Dysfunction among Diabetic and Nondiabetic Males: The Oxford Sexual Dysfunction Study

Abstract

Introduction Erectile dysfunction (ED), premature ejaculation (PE), and reduced libido are common yet poorly investigated complications of diabetes especially among South Asians (SA). Aim To determine possible variations in prevalence and interassociations of ED, PE, and reduced libido among SA and Europids with and without diabetes. Method Men with diabetes and a randomly selected sample of age-matched nondiabetic men from 25 general practitioners in eight primary care trusts in the United Kingdom were invited to participate in a linguistically validated questionnaire-based study in English, Hindi, Urdu, Panjabi, Tamil, and Sinhala languages. Main Outcome Measures ED, assessed by International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5), PE, evaluated using the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool, and libido, assessed by asking participants to grade their desire for sexual activity. Results Sample size was 510 (SA: 184, Europid: 326). Mean age was 56.9 ± 9.7 years. There was no difference in erectile function when assessed by IIEF between SA and Europids with diabetes (84.8% and 84.1%, respectively). The overall prevalence of PE was 28.8% (32.6% and 25.8% in those with and without diabetes, respectively, P = NS). Among men with diabetes, the prevalence of PE was 45.8% and 22.4% for SA and Europids, respectively (P < 0.001). In those without diabetes, this figure was 41.9% in SA and 20.2% in Europids (P < 0.001). There was a significant trend of increasing prevalence of PE with increasing severity grade of ED (P < 0.001). Reduced libido was reported by 26.9% men (32.8% and 22.0% in those with and without diabetes, respectively, P < 0.01), with no significant ethnic difference. The association between reduced libido and increasing severity grades of ED was also significant (P < 0.001). Conclusions No significant difference was observed in the prevalence of ED between SA and Europid men with diabetes. PE was significantly more common in the SA men irrespective of their diabetes status.

Linguistic validation of the Sexual Inhibition and Sexual Excitation Scales (SIS/SES) translated into five South Asian languages: Oxford Sexual Dysfunction Study (OSDS)

“…The Oxford Sexual Dysfunction Study (OSDS) is an ongoing project in which participants include men of European and South Asian origin living in the United Kingdom (UK) [7]. Individuals whose parents are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan or Maldives are considered South Asian in this study.…”

Sexual Dysfunctions as Self-Reported by Diabetic- Type-2 Men: An Andrology Clinic-Based Study in Alexandria, Egypt

“…Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the most frequent SD associated with diabetes [3,5,6]. This well recognized association is secondary to several diabetes-induced pathophysiological mechanisms.…”

Sexual Activity of Young Men is Not Related to Their Anthropometric Parameters

“…As the factor mainly responsible for obesity, the metabolic syndrome is to be considered the most important threat to male sexual health of the 21st century [20]. The proportion of the population that is overweight and obese is on the rise and already includes more than 50% of the adult Western male population [21–23]. There are no available data on whether an obese man's sexual experience would be similar to that of a normal‐weight man [7].…”