diabetes
Grandmother: Dr. Abdul Hafeez Yahya Khoja, the latest medical statistics indicate that the incidence of diabetes is increasing steadily year after year, and that complications from this disease are earlier than it was commonplace a decade or two ago. Many scientific studies also indicate that impotence has become one of the most serious sexual dysfunction
Diabetes complications due to the psychological and social problems it entails and the threat to family safety.
How does diabetes affect sexual ability and ultimately lead to impairment?
Is sexual dysfunction as a result of diabetes limited to males, or does females develop sexual dysfunction as well? How can erectile dysfunction be prevented in people with diabetes?
These critical and important questions that revolve in the minds of everyone who suffers from diabetes, and does not dare to direct them to his doctor directly, conveyed by "your health" to one of the doctors interested in this field, Dr. Nasser Raja Allah Al-Juhani: Consultant of internal diseases and endocrinology, Director of Al-Thager Hospital in Jeddah and President The Sub-Executive Committee of the Saudi Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism in Jeddah, and emphasized at the beginning that there is hardly a home at the present time in any society in the world, except that there is a person suffering from diabetes, and that the statistics show that Saudi Arabia is one of the most prevalent countries in the world. Diabetes, where the prevalence of this disease is about 25 percent after the age of thirty. The reasons for this are due to the negative lifestyle that the individual has become in the kingdom in addition to genetic factors.
He pointed out that there are studies indicating an increase in the percentage of people with sexual dysfunction as a result of diabetes, and that the incidence of sexual dysfunction occurs about 10 * 15 years earlier than the rest of the patients, and that more than 50 percent of those over the age of fifty have diabetes, and this percentage increases with Age progresses, reaching 90 percent after the age of 70.
To complicate matters further, a large number of people with ED do not disclose their condition to the treating doctor, which delays the opportunity for diagnosis and treatment at an early stage. This can lead to psychological pressure, tension, depression and lack of self-confidence, which would disrupt marital life and lead to family disintegration.
Dr. Nasser Al-Juhani said that many men resort to using non-medicinal preparations in an attempt to overcome this condition, and among the most common of these preparations are pills, sexual stimulation creams and some herbs. These are undoubtedly wrong behaviors, as some of them may be dangerous to health due to the side effects they cause not scientifically documented.
From this standpoint comes the role of health education for the family, especially the wife, about the importance of encouraging and supporting the person with sexual dysfunction to seek medical advice and receive early treatment.
Does diabetes affect sexual ability in men and women? D. Al-Juhani said that there are several factors that may cause a diabetic patient to have sexual dysfunction, including its effect on the psychological side of the patient, as the patient feels frustrated and depressed as a result of having the disease, and he links the disease to impotence, and high blood sugar causes damage to the blood vessels of the nerves feeding the penis. It may also reduce the male hormone, and some diseases that are associated with diabetes, such as obesity, high blood pressure, poor kidney function and high blood cholesterol, may lead to hardening of the arteries feeding the penis and cause impotence. Smoking is also considered one of the main causes of impotence due to the narrowing of blood vessels and the reduction of blood flow to the penis.
Impotence for men. Male sexual dysfunction or penile erectile dysfunction is defined as a state of inability to obtain or maintain an erection necessary to perform the sexual process, and is currently one of the most common complications of diabetes. The erection process begins with the presence of a suitable source of sexual excitement in the brain, which in turn sends electrical signals through the nerves feeding the penis, which causes blood flow to the penis, so it erects and the penis becomes larger and stiffer, and produces what is known as the erection necessary to complete the process of sexual intercourse.
Impotence for women. Women with diabetes may suffer from symptoms of impotence, but it is to a lesser degree than the suffering of men, in terms of feeling pain during intercourse with the husband, and the unwillingness to complete the sexual intercourse due to genital infections, damage to nerves and blood vessels, and the effect of diabetes on the psychological side of the patient.
On the prevention and treatment of sexual dysfunction caused by diabetes, Dr. Nasser Al-Juhani the following advice:
Control blood sugar within normal limits and follow up with the treating doctor regularly, as it has been proven that it contributes significantly to preventing or reducing the chances of impotence.
Investigation of the secondary causes of sexual dysfunction by doing some medical tests.
stop smoking.
Paying attention to the psychological aspect, avoiding the factors of anxiety and tension, and the wife''s participation in treatment and her understanding of the psychological pressures and the lifestyle patterns that led to that.
Exercise, eating a healthy, balanced diet and losing weight if it is overweight. Obesity may reduce the secretion of the male hormone in the body and may lead to impotence.
Use of drugs for impotence according to a doctor''s prescription, with the assurance that they are only used under direct medical supervision.
There are many medicines that can be used with cases of impotence, the most common of which are oral drugs, and of many types, and they work to stimulate blood circulation in the penis. There are also local injections, which are placed in the penis and in certain cases, such as those diagnosed late. The treatment may be surgery, such as penis implantation or a suction device.
There are other complications of diabetes related to impotence, as diabetes affects important and vital organs in the body, such as the kidneys, heart, arteries and nerves, and it is related to impotence.
There are also many complications of diabetes related to human life from other aspects, such as the eyes and the lower limbs. And all complications of these vital organs require a set of necessary medical examinations and analyzes by the attending physician periodically to diagnose them at an early date, and then prevent or reduce damage to these organs.
The kidneys. The kidneys are important organs in the human body. They filter the blood from impurities and toxins. Diabetes may lead to kidney failure, and thus the need for regular and continuous dialysis or dialysis. Therefore, a periodic examination of kidney function, blood analysis and the determination of albumin in the urine should be performed. Also, treat your blood pressure to avoid side effects on the kidneys.
Heart and arteries. Diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, is usually associated with weight gain, high blood pressure and high cholesterol in the blood, and all of these things combined may lead to angina, and may affect the capillaries, which leads to gangrene in the foot, and thus amputation. This can be avoided by regulating the sugar level and adhering to a low-cholesterol diet, performing regular exercise, controlling blood pressure and abstaining from smoking.
Nerves. Diabetes may affect the nerves located in different parts of the body, where the patient complains of burning, pain in the legs, numbness or lack of feeling in the feet or hands, which leads to wounds and ulcers in the legs.
Diabetes may affect the automatic nerves that supply the digestive, urinary and circulatory systems, leading to diarrhea or constipation and nausea, especially after eating, and may cause urinary retention or dizziness upon standing.
To avoid these complications, the diabetic patient must maintain his blood sugar level and take care to check and clean the feet.
