阳痿与糖尿病之间的关系早在18世纪就已经收到人们的关注了，但是仅在20世纪七、八十年代才得到科学的调查研究并得到证实，从而引起人们的重视。在500万美国男性糖尿病患者中，有30%到60%都患有阳痿，对于他们来说，这比糖尿病本身的并发症更为可怕，甚至失明。
糖尿病是阳痿在生理方面的主要病因，在胰岛素依赖和非胰岛素依赖的患者中都可以发生，并且在多数患者中，与血糖控制、患病时间、糖尿病严重程度无关，治疗方法通常包括营养调节和阴茎植入物。--译自《柳叶刀》 转载请注明出处
The link between impotence and diabetes has been suspected since the 1700s, but it has been only within the last few decades that it has been scientifically investigated and confirmed. Of the 5 million diabetic men in the United States, 30% to 60% suffer from impotence, a complication of their disease that many of them fear more than any other, including blindness. Diabetes is the leading physiologic cause of impotence, and it occurs in both insulin-dependent and non-insulin dependent patients. In most cases, there is no relationship between the control, the duration, or the severity of diabetes and the occurrence of impotence. Treatment methods range from adjustments in nutrition to penile implants.