The scientists discovered that rates of male erecticle dysfunction much higher in men with diabetes - more than 50 % of men with diabetes in the study reported that they were "never able" or "occasionally able" to reach and maintain an erection. Men with heart disease and stroke, or cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and smoking, were also at increased risk for erectile dysfunction, as were men who weren't very physically active. Increasing age was also strongly tied to risk for the condition.

Male erecticle dysfunction generally acquires in men older than 40 who is impressed by one of these conditions. Symptoms come gradually and progress with time.

Men with type 1 diabetes are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction at an earlier age, since they have diabetes for a longer time period.
Men who have type 2 diabetes, which usually arises in adulthood, may not feel the erection trouble until later in life.

Among men with diabetes, poor management of their illness can also lead to temporary erectile dysfunction.

Study, published in Issue 1, 2007, of The Cochrane Library journal, reviewed eight previous studies about using drugs to treat erectile dysfunction in men with diabetes. In those studies, the Viagra - drug from class known as phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors, were compared to placebo treatment in over 1,700 men with erectile dysfunction, 80 percent of whom had Type 2 diabetes. Most of these studies lasted about 12 weeks.

The review found that the men who had received Viagra showed significant improvements on multiple measures of quality of sexual life when compared with the men who received placebo pills.
Men who had received Viagra also more likely to experience mild side effects, such as headache and flushing. The researchers concluded that drugs in this class are "efficient and safe for this specific wide population."