NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men with type 2 diabetes, particularly those who are obese, often have low levels of testosterone, making them susceptible to sexual dysfunction, research indicates.
The study, which screened 355 type 2 diabetic men over the age of 30, found that 17 percent had obvious low testosterone or "hypogonadism." A further 25 percent of men had borderline low testosterone levels.
Obesity was a "significant predictor" of low testosterone levels.
"This study has demonstrated that there is a high prevalence of symptomatic hypogonadism in men with type 2 diabetes," write Dr. Dheeraj Kapoor from Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UK-based colleagues in the journal Diabetes Care.
The major symptoms of low testosterone are reduced or loss of sex drive, reduced strength of erections, fatigue, reduced physical strength, and mood changes, Kapoor's team points out in the report.
Erectile dysfunction was the chief symptom, occurring in more than 70 percent of diabetic men with low testosterone levels, followed by low sex drive (63 percent).
Erectile dysfunction is common in men with diabetes, Kapoor's team notes. In addition to low testosterone, erectile dysfunction may be caused by blood vessel disease or a problem with the nerves that control internal body functions, a condition known as autonomic neuropathy. The problem is often the result of a combination of these factors.
The investigators also note that men who fail to respond to Viagra-type drugs have low testosterone levels. In two previous studies, testosterone replacement therapy converted Viagra nonresponders into responders.
Testosterone therapy may also results in insulin resistance improvements, blood sugar control, better cholesterol levels, and weight loss in men with low testosterone.
Taken together, these findings indicate that the detection of low testosterone levels in diabetic men is important not only for men's sex lives but also their heart health.
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, April 2007.
