Prevalence and Factors Associated with Quality of Life among Diabetic Men Living with Erectile Dysfunction

Abstract

Diabetic erectile dysfunction (DED) is one of the most frequently occurring complications of diabetes mellitus (DM) in men, and past studies have usually overlooked the effect DED has on quality of life (QoL). The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of DED and to investigate QoL, and the factors that influence QoL, in Thai men who are living with DED. Five hundred and eighty-two Thai men living with diabetes who enrolled in the diabetic and general medical outpatient clinic at a tertiary hospital in the northern part of Thailand were surveyed to determine the prevalence of DED, as well as QoL and its influencing factors, for men living with DED. The average age of the men was 58.2 years old (±SD = 10.1, range = 34.3 - 80 years old). DED was found in 417 out of the 582 men (71.5 %). The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) mean score was 17.03 (±SD = 3.47). The QoL was found to be at a moderate level (= 95.42 ±SD = 11.39). The QoL domains found to be at a good level were the psychological (= 23.84 ±SD = 3.42) and environmental domains (= 31.4 ±SD = 3.98), while domains found to be at a moderate level were the social relationships (= 10.77 ±SD = 1.93) and physical domains (= 24.9 ±SD = 3.13). The mean score of the QoL of men living with DED was lower than that of men without DED. The most important factor associated with poor QoL was severity of DED, while men who have a good QoL tend to have a higher education level and more frequent sexual intercourse (p < 0.05). The study showed that the prevalence of erectile dysfunction in Thai men living with DED was high. DED has a moderate impact on QoL, especially on the social relationship domain. The results suggest the importance of screening for DED in clinical settings for early detection of, and creating supportive strategies for treating men with, diabetes mellitus.