Diabetes mellitus is an insidious disease affecting men and it can have a wide range.  Basically, the problems that men get related to the disease are caused by the disease on the disease and blood vessels.

 From an erection standpoint, diabetes affects two main mechanisms by which men get an erection.

 “When we have a lot of sugar floating around in our bloodstream, that sugar gets deposited in the walls of our blood vessels and in the walls of our nerves,” said Frederick Taylor, MD, a urologist with the Central Ohio Urology Group, on multiple sites.  in Ohio.  "And when this sugar builds up in the blood vessels, it makes the blood vessels dilate less, or essentially increases the likelihood of developing atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries."

 When sugar builds up in the nerve walls, the nerve signals aren't as effective as they should be, Taylor said.

 To get an erection, nerves need to transmit a signal from the brain down the spinal cord.  These nerves release nitric oxide, which tells blood vessels to dilate.  It is the dilation of blood vessels in the genital area that increases blood flow to the erectile bodies and causes an erection to occur.

 "If sugar builds up in the nerves, we don't get the signals from the brain down the spinal cord as strong as we normally would," Taylor explained.  "And even if this signal finds its way into the arteries, they won't be able to dilate as efficiently as they used to because of the buildup of sugar in the arteries."

 This is why men with diabetes are more likely to have erectile dysfunction.  In addition to ED, nerve damage from diabetes can cause other problems for men, including overactive bladder, incontinence, and urinary tract infections (UTIs).