ED and Cardiovascular Disease

The men suffering with erectile dysfunction (ED) are at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. Erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease share similar risk factors, and ED may be a marker of cardiovascular disease progression. Erectile dysfunction is a common (affecting 10-20 million men in the United States) and multifactorial disease due to organic and/or psychological factors that strongly impairs the quality of life in man.

Cardiovascular diseases are caused when your heart performs improperly and blood vessels do not circulate the blood properly. Cardiovascular disease includes coronary heart disease (heart attacks), cerebrovascular disease, raised blood pressure (hypertension), peripheral artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and heart failure. Cardiovascular diseases are the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. According to the latest survey, erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease are linked.

The inability of a male to attain and maintain an erection sufficient to allow vaginal penetration is called erectile dysfunction. It is a part of general male sexual dysfunction called impotence, which also includes libidinal, orgasmic and ejaculatory dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction affects millions of men and although it may not mean a total loss of sexual satisfaction, it often creates a mental stress that affects the man’s quality of life. Knowledge of erectile dysfunction has increased remarkably over the past decade.

Nowadays, about 50-85% of erectile dysfunction patients can be shown to have a somatic cause by modern methods of examination. Erectile dysfunction may also occur as a result of specific illness or medical treatment, and it is often multi-factorial in etiology. Erectile dysfunction increases with age. It has been established that an insufficient production of nitric oxide by penile nerve terminals and/or vascular endothelium may result in an impaired erection or complete impotence. Mainly lack of blood supply to the penis during the sexual activity causes erectile dysfunction.

To study the link between the erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular diseases, scientist conducted a survey. In the survey 200 men suffering from the erectile dysfunction were checked for the occurrence of the cardiovascular diseases. Electronic cardiogram (ECG) and the heart conditions of the men were checked in the survey. The results obtained were surprising because out of 200 men with erectile dysfunction 153 men were suffering from the cardiovascular disease. But, it was not clear from the survey whether cardiovascular diseases lead to the erectile dysfunction or erectile dysfunction leads to the cardiovascular diseases.

It was clear that erectile dysfunction alarms men for the chances of erectile dysfunction. Thus, men with ED should be specifically targeted for cardiovascular disease preventative strategies in terms of lifestyle changes, and appropriate pharmacological treatments. Erectile dysfunction is common among patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease, according to the survey. Thus, we can call erectile dysfunction as the marker of cardiovascular disease. In erectile dysfunction less amount of blood is supplied to the penis, but same may be the case for the cardiovascular diseases because less amount of blood is supplied to the heart. Thus, the blood supply is found to be the main cause of erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease. Hence, we can say erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease are linked.