Effect of male sexual dysfunction on the health related quality of life of persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract Background Sexual function is an important component of a patient’s life and subjective well-being and is considered as one of the important indices of quality of life. Objective This study sought to assess the prevalence of sexual dysfunction (SD) and its impact on the health related quality of life (HRQoL) of male patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Method It was a cross sectional, descriptive, hospital-based study conducted among adult male diabetes mellitus patients aged between 30 and 75 years, who attended the diabetic outpatient clinics of two selected hospitals in Uyo, southern Nigeria over a twelve month period. Data on the socio-demographic and clinical details of the participants was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data on sexual function and HRQoL of the patients were obtained using the International Index of Erectile Function Questionnaire (IIEF); and the World Health Organization quality of life instrument short version (WHOQOL-BREF) respectively. Results Two hundred and thirteen male patients with T2DM were recruited into the study with majority (88; 41.3%) of them aged between 50 and 59 years. About 71.8% (153) of the participants were identified as having SD. A further evaluation revealed that dysfunction was high in all the domains of sexual function with erectile dysfunction accounting for the most frequent form of SD: 97.4% (95% CI 93.4–99.3%). Our results showed that 85.6% of the patients who reported a poor overall quality of life were those with SD, while only 14.4% of those without SD reported a poor overall quality of life. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). Conclusion A high prevalence of SD among the patient population studied was observed. Erectile dysfunction was the most common type of SD among the patients. SD significantly impairs the HRQoL of male patients with T2DM. Evaluation of male T2DM patients for SD should form part of routine clinical care with the view of implementing suitable interventions to improve the HRQoL of the patient.