KEEP ILLNESS FROM UNDERMINING POTENCY: DIABETES
While self-sabotage and bad health habits play a key role in impotence, erection problems may have many other origins. And what at first looks like the sole cause of impotence is often only one factor among several. Still, there are a few common health problems that by themselves frequently cause loss of potency. Consider these troublemakers if you experience impotence. Be sure your doctor also takes them into account.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a common disease in which a person’s body doesn’t control blood sugar properly. There are two basic types of diabetes. Type I, sometimes called juvenile onset diabetes, usually starts early in life. It is typically more severe and more likely to require the person to give himself shots of insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar. On the other hand, Type II, sometimes known as adult-onset diabetes, is usually not as drastic (it can often be controlled with dietary changes and exercise) and is frequently associated with lifestyle factors like obesity. Both types tend to run in families, so your chances of getting diabetes are greater if you have close relatives with the disease. Classic symptoms of diabetes include excessive thirst, a frequent need to urinate and unexpected weight loss. Sometimes, however, adult-onset diabetes can be “silent,” with none of these symptoms. Using certain blood tests, diabetes is fairly easy to diagnose.
In general, diabetic men experience more erection problems than their nondiabetic counterparts. And these problems develop at a younger age than they do in healthy nondiabetic men—erection problems usually show up about 10 to 15 years earlier than in men without the disease. In some cases, even relatively young men who have had diabetes for fewer than 10 years may find getting or maintaining an erection a problem. It is estimated that in the U.S. alone, diabetes is responsible for about one-fifth of all potency problems. This means that there are about 2 million American men who can hold diabetes partially, or even completely, responsible for their impotence. That’s not to say that a diagnosis of diabetes sentences you to impotence, because diabetes does not always lead to erection difficulties. Some researchers claim that only about 1 in 4 diabetic men will eventually develop erection problems, while others estimate that the odds are 6 in 10.
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