Prevalence of erectile dysfunction and associated factors among men with diabetes mellitus, Northern Ethiopia, 2020

Background: Diabetes mellitus is the predominant risk factor for erectile dysfunction due to vascular and neurological complications. It affects the patient's quality of life by imposing psychological and emotional consequences including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and lack of self-confidence. Hence, this study aimed to scrutinize the prevalence of impotence and its associated factors among diabetic patients. Methods: Institutional based cross-sectional study was employed on 330 systematically selected male diabetic patients in tertiary hospitals, Northern Ethiopia from March 2019 to January 2020. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire through face-to-face interviews, entered to Epi data version 4.4.2.1, and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Binary logistic regression was used for analysis. Variables with p< 0.25 in the bi-variable analysis were fitted to multivariate analysis. Then, the adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI was used to report the association whereas statistical significances declared at P≤0.05. Finally, the findings were presented using texts and frequency tables. Results: This study was conducted on 330 male diabetic patients with an overall response rate of 97.1%. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction among men with diabetes mellitus was found to be 87%. Having average monthly income above poverty line [AOR=5.6; 95%CI: 2.08-15.08], long duration on diabetic follow-up [AHR=1.67; 95% CI: 1.40-2.00], not engaging in daily physical exercise [AOR=4.73; 95%CI: 1.83-12.23], and using oral medications for diabetes mellitus [AHR= 6.27; 95% CI: 2.01-19.58] were significantly associated with erectile dysfunction among male diabetic patients. Conclusion: Erectile dysfunction is highly prevalent among diabetic patients. Moreover, prolonged diabetic follow-up, family monthly-income above the poverty line, using oral hypoglycemic agents, and lack of daily physical exercise were independent risk factors of impotence. Thus, it is advisable to conduct universal screening for this population group with open discussion during diabetic visits to enable timely detection and management.