A 2024 umbrella review titled examined the worldwide prevalence of erectile dysfunction among diabetic patients and identified associated risk factors.
This review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, published in BMC Public Health, included data from 108,030 male diabetic patients. Using a weighted inverse variance random-effects model, the study reported a global erectile dysfunction (ED) prevalence of 65.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 58.3%-73.3%) among diabetic men. In Africa, the prevalence was 62.9% (95% CI, 46.1%-79.7%).
The researchers conducted subgroup and sensitivity analyses to address heterogeneity and used the AMSTAR 2 tool to assess the quality of included studies. The prediction interval for future observations ranged from 36.0% to 95.5%. Begg's and Egger's tests revealed no significant publication bias.
Risk factors identified included:
- Age over 40 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.95; 95% CI, 1.03-3.24)
- Diabetes duration over 10 years (AOR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.16-2.65)
- Peripheral vascular disease (AOR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.42-4.06)
- Body mass index greater than 30 kg/m² (AOR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.01-1.20)
The authors concluded that the high global prevalence of ED in diabetic patients underscores the need for increased global attention to raise awareness and promote early screening for ED in this population.
The authors declared having no competing interests.