Diabetic men at risk of low testosterone

Men over the age of 45 with Diabetes are more than twice as likely as non-diabetic men in the age group to have low testosterone, making them susceptible to sexual dysfunction, according to new research reported on Saturday.

"Too many times people with diabetes have gotten the short end of the deal," said study investigator Dr. Sherwyn Schwartz, director of the Diabetes & Glandular Disease Clinic in San Antonio, Texas. "This is a common problem that we need to start looking for."

The study, which screened 2,162 men, with an average age of over 60, found that half of the 474 men with Diabetes also had low testosterone, or Hypogonadism.

"This is an astonishing prevalence rate. The implication is that management of diabetes hinges on more than just managing glucose levels," said Dr. Natan Bar-Chama, a urologist with Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

"This is not the natural course of life in a man who is 45 or 50 years old. It's not like women's Menopause," said Schwartz. About 56 percent of men in the study with diabetes and low testosterone reported a decreased ability to perform sexually.

Treatment involves testosterone supplements, which raise the risk of prostate enlargement and cannot be used by men with Prostate cancer.

"This is not isolated to libido. The hormone has an impact on numerous medical conditions," Bar-Chama said. Men who are treated with testosterone supplements must be carefully monitored so that levels fall within normal ranges and the prostate is not affected, he said.

"Long-term data is lacking," he cautioned.