LAUSR

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between health literacy, unrealistic optimism, and adherence to glycometabolic disease management related to erectile dysfunction (ED) in male patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) or preDM. MATERIALS AND METHODS This prospective observational study enrolled 167 consecutive patients with T2D and ED. All patients underwent the following examinations: a) medical history collection; b) Body Mass Index (BMI) determination; c) hormonal and biochemical assessment; d) duration of T2D, complications and treatment; e) International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-5 questionnaire to assess ED; f) questionnaires to evaluate health literacy, unrealistic optimism and treatment adherence. RESULTS Overall, mean age was 62.5±9.4 years (range: 20-75) and mean BMI was 28.4±4.8 kg/m2 (range: 18.4-46.6). The mean IIEF-5 score was 15.4±5.2 (range: 5-25). The majority of patients showed high health literacy. However, low health literacy was found in patients with higher IIEF-5 scores and high BMI. Unrealistic optimism was low in most patients. Higher adherence to treatment was found in patients who reported regular physical activity, who followed a diet, and in patients with a family history of T2D. Regarding antidiabetic treatment, patients treated with insulin showed higher health literacy compared with patients not treated with other medications, whereas higher adherence was found in patients using SGLT2-i. CONCLUSIONS This study highlighted the close relationship between metabolic compensation, BMI, ED, and psychological attitudes, including health literacy and unrealistic optimism. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.