Diabetes, Impotence, and Viagra
25 Aug 2005 Approximately 8.7 million, or 8.7% of all men over
the age of 20 in the United States have diabetes. The most
life-threatening consequences of diabetes are heart disease and
stroke, which strike people with diabetes more than twice as
often as they do others. Other complications of diabetes include
blindness, impotence, kidney disease, and amputations. Millions
of men suffer from impotence, and it is more common among men
with diabetes than others. While it is estimated that 15-25% of
men experience erectile dysfunction by the age of 65, it has
been reported to affect 50-60% of men with diabetes over the age
of 50.
How Diabetes related to Impotence?
The most common cause of impotence in men with diabetes is
damage to his nervous system. Nerves carry messages back and
forth between the brain and other parts of the body. All of your
nerves together make up the nervous system. Some nerves tell the
brain what is happening in the body. For example, when you step
on a tack, the nerve in your foot tells the brain about the
pain. Other nerves tell the body what to do. For example, nerves
from the brain tell your stomach when it is time to move food
into your intestines.
The nervous system has four main parts--cranial, central,
peripheral, and autonomic. All these nerves goes to different
organs of your body. Out of these Autonomic nerves go from your
spinal cord to your lungs, heart, stomach, intestines, bladder,
and sex organs.
Diabetes can damage the peripheral, autonomic, and cranial
nerves. Having high blood glucose for many years can damage the
blood vessels that bring oxygen to some nerves. High blood
glucose can also hurt the covering on the nerves. Damaged nerves
may stop sending messages. Or they may send messages too slowly
or at the wrong times.
Diabetic neuropathy (ne-ROP-uh-thee) is the medical term for
damage to the nervous system from diabetes. As Autonomic nerves
go to the penis, Damage to these nerves can prevent a man's
penis from getting firm when he wants to have sex. This
condition is called erectile dysfunction or impotence
(IM-po-tents). Many men who have had diabetes for many years
experience it.
Viagra and Impotence:
Viagra has been tested
and found effective in men with diabetes. Viagra works by
helping to relax the smooth muscles in the penis during sexual
stimulation, allowing increased blood flow. In an early study
involving 21 patients, use of Viagra improved the quality of
erections in 48% receiving the 25 mg dose and 52% of those
receiving 50 mg. A larger study of 268 men with diabetes found
improved erections in 56% of those receiving Viagra. These
results compare to ranges of 65% to 88% percent improvement
reported by men without diabetes.
Apart from Viagra you can directly control impotence by
preventing nerve damage, here it is how Keep your blood glucose
as close to normal as you can. Limit the amount of alcohol you
drink. Don't smoke. Tell your doctor if you have problems when
you have sex.
For More information:
To find a diabetes teacher near you, call the American
Association of Diabetes Educators toll-free at 1-800-TEAMUP4
(1-800-832-6874), or look on the Internet at DiabeteseDucator.org
and click on "Find a Diabetes Educator."