Assessing the sexual dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus

Aim: Diabetes Mellitus is the most common endocrine disorder. Sexual Dysfunction due to diabetes mellitus is a well-known issue. The literature suggests that duration of diabetes, glycemic control, age, and diabetes mellitus treatments are associated with sexual dysfunction. However, sexual dysfunction of patients who are being treated for diabetes mellitus are mostly ignored in the literature. In this study, our objectives are to assess the sexual dysfunction of patients treated for diabetes mellitus and compare the correlations with duration, type, and complications of diabetes, as well as with other comorbidities to the group of healthy individuals. Material and Method: The study was carried out from October 2019 to April 2020 and a population of 49 female and 72 male patients, who presents at the endocrinology outpatient clinics, as well as 42 healthy females and 43 healthy males are enrolled. The data on demographics, complications of diabetes, co-morbidities and current treatments are collected from patients. In addition to the routine blood work; FSH, LH, Prolactin, and Testosterone levels from male patients and FSH, LH, Prolactin, and Estradiol levels from female patients are obtained. The Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction is used to assess all individuals who enrolled in the study. Results: Sexual dysfunction is detected at 87% of patients and 34% of healthy individuals. In the female and the male groups, this rate was 75.5% and 69.4%, respectively. Under the light of these findings, we found statistically significant association between diabetes mellitus and sexual dysfunction(p=0,000). The association between age, duration of diabetes, HbA1c, body mass index and sexual dysfunction are not statistically significant. In the group of female patients; microvascular complications were found 36.7%, Hypertension was 44.98% and Hyperlipidemia was 61.2%. Among these patients the rate of sexual dysfunction was significantly higher(p=0,032) (p=0,005) (p=0,044). Higher levels of FSH and lower levels of Estradiol was associated with sexual dysfunction among females(p=0,029) (p=0,011). In the group of males, we did not find any correlation between blood work and sexual dysfunction (p>0,05). Conclusion: In our study, consistent with the literature, the frequency of sexual dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus was high. The difficulty of studying this subject, due to social factors, is effecting the feasibility of the study. In our opinion, with raising the awareness in the society about effects of diabetes on sexual functional, researchers will be able to work with larger sample sizes and collect more comprehensive data in the future. Key Words: Diabetes Mellitus, Sexual Dysfunction, Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction