Impotence and diabetes mellitus.

The frequency of difficulty in obtaining and maintaining satisfactory erections was studied in 198 diabetic men. The complaint of impotence was much more frequent in older patients; but by matching data on the various age-groups of diabetics against the data on the male population reported by Kinsey and his associates, the statistical significance of the twofold to fivefold increase in impotence in the diabetics was established. In the 30-34-year group, 25% of the diabetic men suffered from impotence. The incidence gradually increased with age to 53.6% for men 50 to 54 years of age. In some cases impotence was the symptom that led to discovery of an existing diabetes. The possibility of diabetes mellitus should be considered whenever a man complains of premature impotence.