Intracavernosal alprostadil is effective for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in diabetic men.

The efficacy and safety of intracavernosal alprostadil was evaluated for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in men with type I or type II diabetes mellitus. This was an open-label, flexible dose-escalating study involving 336 men (77% of whom were Asian/Oriental) enrolled by 15 centres in Australia, Canada and seven countries in Asia. The effective alprostadil dose, ie the dose producing penile rigidity adequate for intercourse and lasting up to 60 min, was established by titration at the clinic prior to entry into the 6 month self-treatment home phase. All men were fully trained in the self-injection technique before entry into the home phase. Efficacy and safety were assessed using patient and partner diaries and by interview at clinic visits during the titration phase and after 1, 3 and 6 months of treatment. An effective home dose was established by titration for 94% of the 336 men (median dose 20 microg, range 2.5-60 microg). Of 278 (83%) men who entered the home phase, 277 men (247 with type II diabetes and 30 with type I diabetes) had evaluable data for alprostadil dosage and clinical response. During the home phase, a satisfactory erectile response was achieved after 99% of injections, and the median alprostadil dose remained unchanged. The initial home dose and clinical response were similar in type I and type II diabetic men. Treatment was generally well tolerated with a low incidence of penile pain (24%) In conclusion, intracavernosal alprostadil was effective and well tolerated in type I and type II diabetic men with erectile dysfunction of mixed aetiology.

Diabetes mellitus in an urban population in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The prevalence of diabetes in an urban population in Koja Utara subdistrict of Jakarta is 1.63%. The prevalence of diabetes increases with age. The tendency toward bimodality in the 55-64 age group of our study lends support to the usefulness of the WHO criteria 1980. There is no difference between the sexes. Male to female ratio was 1.2:1. There is a higher prevalence of diabetes among the obese, and the obese and overweight comprise 65.9% of diabetics. Obesity seems to be an important risk factor in the development of diabetes. There was a higher prevalence of diabetes in the high socio-economic level group than in the low one. The group of Chinese origin showed a higher prevalence of diabetes than the other groups. A positive family history of diabetes was found in 27% of our diabetic patients. Dietary recall analysis revealed no significant difference in the percentage of carbohydrate, protein, fat, or in the percentage of refined carbohydrate. However, total caloric intake was significantly higher in the high socio-economic-diabetic group. Total caloric intake seemed to be more important than quantitative dietary factors.