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Diabetes-Related Problems in Men

Men with diabetes suffer more from some diabetes-related health problems than women. The American Diabetes Association reports that:

In people who develop diabetes before the age of 30, men develop retinopathy (a vision disorder that can lead to blindness) more quickly than women.

Having the main symptoms of peripheral vascular disease - pain in the thigh, calf, or buttocks during exercise; cramps; change in temperature; sores that don't heal, swelling - is linked to a two- to three-fold increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, or cardiac failure in men with diabetes.

Amputation rates from diabetes-related problems are 1.4 to 2.7 times higher in men than women with diabetes.

The prevalence of complications in men with diabetes is significantly higher than in men without diabetes. According to the 2006 American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists report, The State of Diabetes Complications in America, 7.9% of men with diabetes experienced congestive heart failure compared to 1.4% of those with normal blood sugar. The prevalence of chest pain, heart attack, and coronary heart disease were all 3 to 6% higher in men with diabetes than in men without, and 6.8% of men with diagnosed diabetes suffered stroke compared to 1.5% of men with normal blood sugar levels.

Men with diabetes also face special concerns like impotence (not being able to have or keep an erection). Men with diabetes can help prevent impotence by:

• Controlling blood sugar levels.
• Not worrying (fear of becoming impotent can sometimes be the cause).
• Not drinking large amounts of alcohol, which can cause impotence.
• Not smoking (smoking causes blood vessels to narrow, which can lead to impotence).

Partially excerpted from “What Do You Know about Men's Health? Diabetes in Men” from the National Women's Health Information Center

Reviewed by Francine Kaufman, MD. 4/08