Analysis confirms ED drugs OK for diabetic men
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Viagra and similar drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction, often referred to as ED, work for men with diabetes and appear to be safe, according to a research review being published Wednesday.
Diabetes is one of the most common causes of ED, and experts estimate that diabetic men are about three times more likely than other men to deal with erection problems at some point.
ED is also typically more severe and difficult to treat in men with diabetes, Dr. Moshe Vardi, of Lady Davis Carmel Medical Center in Israel, told Reuters Health.
To assess the safety and effectiveness of ED drugs for diabetic men, Vardi’s team reviewed eight clinical trials conducted since 1998. Each compared one of three ED drugs on the market—Viagra, Levitra or Cialis—with a placebo, or inactive pill.
All three drugs belong to a class of medications called phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors, which enhance blood flow to the penis and can allow men with ED to maintain an erection.
Together the drugs have “altered the management” of ED in general, Vardi said, but until now there had been no systematic review of how well the drugs work for diabetic men.
Across the eight studies Vardi’s team analyzed, the 976 men who were given a PDE-5 inhibitor were nearly four times more likely than the 741 given a placebo to say the treatment had improved their sexual function.
They were also five times more likely to have a side effect—most commonly headache, flushing, nasal symptoms, upset stomach and temporary vision disturbances. Only one study reported serious side effects, including two heart attacks and two cases of congestive heart failure.
Vardi’s team reports the findings in the Cochrane Library, a publication of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international research organization.
“It is clear from the meta-analysis presented that PDE-5 inhibitors should be considered a primary treatment for erectile dysfunction in diabetic men,” the researchers conclude in the report. “They have proved to be effective and safe.”
However, the drugs are not for every man with ED. Vardi noted that they can interact with certain other medications, such as nitrates used to treat chest pain.
There have also been reports of a form of permanent vision loss called non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy among men on PDE-5 inhibitors. Diabetes is one of the risk factors for the eye condition.
Vardi said men with diabetes need to talk with their doctors about the benefits and potential risks of ED drugs.
SOURCE: Cochrane Library, online January 24, 2007.
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