Background: Erectile dysfunction in patients with diabetes has been for a long time considered as only an autonomic neuropathic complication. Numbers of recent studies have shown erectile dysfunction as a cardiovascular risk factor in patients with diabetes.
Objective: To study the association of erectile dysfunction with traditional cardiovascular risk factors in patients with diabetes.
Patients and method: It’s a cross sectional study concerning men with diabetes intending the ambulatory diabetes center in Cotonou. Erectile dysfunction was defined using the International Index of Erectile Function. Cardiovascular risk factors studied were: high blood pressure, obesity, tobacco consumption and lipid disturbance. Statistical analysis was realized using the khi2 test.
Results: A total of 374 Patients with diabetes were included in the study and 284 of them presented erectile dysfunction making a prevalence rate 75.9%. Erectile dysfunction was present before diabetes in 24.3% of cases. Prevalence of erectile dysfunction was significantly higher in patients with diabetes presenting electrocardiographic signs of ischemic heart disease than in others, 83.30% versus 63.48% (p < 0.03). On another hand, the presence of erectile dysfunction was significantly associated with high blood pressure (p = 0.002) and with tobacco consumption (p = 0.005). There was no association of erectile dysfunction with well known cardiovascular risk factors as obesity and lipid disturbance.
Conclusion: Erectile dysfunction is a very prevalent complication in black African people with diabetes in Cotonou and in some cases precedes the diabetes. As reported in a few recent studies, it’s representative of cardiovascular risk factor in patients with diabetes. In the presence of erectile dysfunction, patients must be screened not only for diabetes but also for ischemic heart disease.
Key words: Diabetes, erectile dysfunction, cardiovascular risk factor.

Erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular risk factors in patient with diabetes in Cotonou, Benin