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Men & Diabetes

Rubin, Richard R. P.H., CDE, and Peyrot, Mark, Ph.D. published their study titled "Men and Diabetes: Psychosocial and Behavioral Issues" in Diabetes Spectrum (Vol. 11, Nov. 1998). "Simply put, we found that men seemed to have an easier time living with diabetes than did women. Specifically:

  • Men were more confident in their ability to manage their diabetes.
  • Men felt more supported and less hassled by their spouses concerning diabetes management.
  • Men reported fewer lapses in self-care, especially in diet-related self-care.
  • Men tended to have lower HbA1c levels and fewer complications.
  • Men reported higher quality of life, especially regarding diet issues, and more overall treatment satisfaction.
  • Men were much less likely to report high levels of depression and anxiety symptomatology.

Despite the apparently lighter burden borne by men with diabetes, this gender-based protection did not extend to every aspect of life with diabetes. There were many issues that men and women seemed to experience similarly. For example, we found no significant gender differences in many aspects of self-care, and men and women did not differ in most aspects of either diabetes-specific or general quality of life."

"Still, the men in our study were clearly more comfortable living with diabetes than were the women. In fact, there was not one issue assessed here in which women seemed to have the advantage. While our study is one of the most comprehensive examinations to date of gender differences in life with diabetes, many of our specific findings matched those of earlier research."

New Drug Approaches For Erectile Dysfunction

A new drug, vardenafil, helps men with diabetes who have erectile dysfunction.
With either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, problems may occur with getting an erection. Existing drugs have had some success in treating men with diabetes for sexual dysfunction.

Researchers in Texas have been studying a new drug, vardenafil, in a group of 452 men with diabetes. They find that 72 per cent report improvement in erectile function, compared to 13 per cent in a placebo group. And 64 per cent said their erections were good enough for penetration, and 54 per cent could complete love-making. Bayer, maker of the drug, believes this a promising result for a previously hard-to-treat group of men.

Vardenafil is still under clinical investigation, but an application for approval to the FDA is expected soon. Click to read clinical trial results on Vardenafil.

General Information

Erectile Dysfunction

Check back soon as we add more information on emotional issues, self-image, sexuality, impotence and aging in relation to diabetes.