Novel Oral Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction in Diabetic Men

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), with an estimated prevalence of greater than 30%(1), ranging from 9.5-15% at age 20-34 years up to 45-55% at age³60 years (2,3). The onset of erectile dysfunction occurs earlier in diabetic men than the general population(4,5). Sometimes erectile dysfunction is the first symptom for undiagnosed diabetes mellitus (6) and prevalence of undiagnosed DM was 4.7% in 107 men with erectile dysfunction referred to urology department(7). Various treatment options are available for erectile dysfunction, most notably the use of external vacuum devices(8), intracavernous self injection of vasoactive agents(9), and transuretral insertion of prostaglandin E1(10). While these treatments can be effective, they are not ideal(11). An efficacious oral agent would extend patients, options in the treatment of erectile dysfunction associated with DM.