A study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) found that diabetes patients with erectile dysfunction have a higher risk of heart disease.

From 1995 to 2005, the CUHK studied 2,306 male diabetes patients with a mean age of 54.2 and no known heart disease.

Researchers found that erectile dysfunction can increase the risk of heart disease among diabetes patients by 58 percent.

Explaining the findings, Peter Tong, Associate Professor at the Department of Medicine & Therapeutics at the CUHK said a similar symptom shared by diabetes patients and heart disease sufferers is poor blood flow. Poor blood flow to the penis for the former and poor blood flow to the heart for the latter.

"This means erectile dysfunction can predict heart disease," he said.

Older patients with a longer history of diabetes and higher blood pressure are more prone to erectile dysfunction, he said.

Although erectile dysfunction is quite common among diabetes patients, Ronald Ma, Associate Professor at the Department of Medicine & Therapeutics at the CUHK, noted the topic is always avoided between doctors and patients.

He explained that patients are often too embarrassed to discuss their erectile problems, or they just assume that it is normal for older people to have erectile problems.

He advised that diabetes patients with erectile dysfunction should report their conditions to their doctors.

Tong warned that erectile problems should be taken seriously, with or without the presence of diabetes, as being impotent can be a warning sign of diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.

People should not try to handle the problem with over-the-counter anti-impotence drugs, he said.

Currently, 10 percent of the local population have diabetes.

According to local and international researches, 20 to 90 percent of male diabetes patients also suffer from erectile dysfunction.

(HK Edition 05/22/2008 page1)