Alpha-lipoic acid in the treatment of erectile: To date, there are more than 250 million patients with diabetes mellitus, a chronic non – communicable disease with a pandemic growth rate, in the world alone. At the same time, about 50% of all patients with diabetes are patients of the most active and working age (40-59 years).
Experts of the International Diabetes Federation predict that the number of such patients will increase by one and a half times by 2025 and reach 380 million, mainly due to type 2 diabetes. Data from control and epidemiological studies conducted by the Endocrinology Research Center from 2002 to 2009 indicate that the real number of patients with diabetes is two to three times higher than the registered one and amounts to about 9 million people.
Alpha-lipoic acid in the treatment of erectile dysfunction
The prevalence of erectile dysfunction – a permanent inability to achieve and maintain an erection sufficient for successful sexual intercourse, among diabetic patients, according to various studies, ranges from 20 to 85%. Having diabetes increases the risk of erectile dysfunction by two to four times compared to healthy men of the same age.
In total, about 75% of men with the disease sooner or later notice erectile dysfunction, while such disorders occur in them much earlier than in healthy men, are more severe and more reduce the quality of life. The age of patients, the duration of the course of diabetes, the severity of metabolic disorders (uncontrolled glycemia, hyperlipidemia), the presence of diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy, nephropathy, macroangiopathy are important risk factors for the development of erectile dysfunction in people with diabetes and no viagra can help here.
The role of alpha-lipoic acid drugs in the treatment of erectile dysfunction
For a long time, various preparations of an endogenous antioxidant – alpha-lipoic acid, which is formed during the oxidative decarboxylation of alpha-keto acids, have been successfully used in practical healthcare in Russia. The antioxidant effect of alpha-lipoic acid is due to the presence of two thiol groups in the molecule, the ability to bind free radicals and free tissue iron and prevent its participation in lipid peroxidation.
The property of normalization of cellular metabolism is realized by direct inactivation of free radicals due to their binding by SH-groups of alpha-lipoic acid. The acid not only has its own antioxidant potential, but also provides powerful support for other antioxidant links in the body. Its protective effect is closely related to homeostasis in the system of glutathione and ubiquinone. Alpha-lipoic acid also enhances the anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticosteroids. In addition, this acid is similar in pharmacological properties to B vitamins, as a result of which it is able to reduce blood glucose levels (the effect of glucose utilization) and increase the content of glycogen in the liver.
Of particular interest are the results of a recent study of the effectiveness of alpha-lipoic acid in patients with type 2 diabetes and erectile dysfunction, conducted at the Research Institute of Urology. Alpha-lipoic acid was administered at a dose of 600 mg / day and the parameters of erectile function, libido, and symptoms of androgen deficiency were evaluated. The study involved 86 men aged 43 to 59 years (mean age 51 years) with compensated (HbA1c < 7%) type 2 diabetes and erectile dysfunction. 52 men of the main group received alpha-lipoic acid. The control group consisted of 34 patients.
The effectiveness of treatment was evaluated 12 weeks after the appointment of alpha-lipoic acid based on the completion of the validated ICEF-5 scale and the questionnaire of age – related symptoms of men (Aging Male Simptoms-AMS). When analyzing the results of the study, the patients of the main group showed a significant increase in the sum of ICEF-5 scores from 18 (13-21) to 22 (20-24) and a decrease in the AMS score from 42 (35-44) to 33 (29-34) compared to the control group, where there were no significant changes in the scores according to the questionnaires.
The researchers believe that taking into account the positive pathogenetic effect of alpha-lipoic acid on the endothelium of the cavernous arteries, as well as on the cavernous nerves, new possibilities for its use in the treatment of erectile dysfunction in patients with DM and other forms of erectile dysfunction, taking into account the general mechanisms of development.
Conclusion
Erectile dysfunction is an urgent problem for patients with diabetes – a widespread worldwide disease with a high growth rate. Pathogenetic therapy of erectile dysfunction in patients of this category necessarily implies compensation for DM and a decrease in the severity of symptoms of peripheral diabetic polyneuropathy.
For a long time, for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy, the administration of various alpha-lipoic acid drugs has been successfully practiced, which reduce the manifestations of oxidative stress – the leading factor in the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications. The possibility of effective administration of alpha-lipoic acid in erectile dysfunction in patients with DM determines the relevance and prospects of its clinical use.