Erectile Dysfunction May Warn of Heart Disease
Restricted blood vessels could be the link
 (HealthDay News) -- Men who experience erectile dysfunction might want to make an appointment with a cardiologist, not just a urologist.
The reason? If a man has problems attaining or sustaining an erection, it suggests that he is at higher risk for a future heart attack or other cardiovascular problems.
Vascular diseases, or diseases that affect the circulatory system, restrict blood flow to such organs as the heart, brain and kidneys, says the Cleveland Clinic. In the case of erectile dysfunction, vascular diseases restrict blood flow to the penis.
"Erectile dysfunction is often caused by vascular disease," Dr. Ian Thompson, professor and chairman of the Department of Urology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio , told HealthDay . "A man could perceive decreased blood flow to the penis as being a less-strong, weaker erection, and that may actually be one of the first indicators of blood vessel disease."
It's estimated that 15 million to 30 million American men experience erectile dysfunction, says the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse.
The body of evidence linking erectile dysfunction and heart problems continues to mount.
In a study involving 3,912 Canadian men, about 49 percent experienced erectile dysfunction in the four weeks before seeing their family physicians. The men with cardiovascular disease or diabetes were most likely to have erectile dysfunction.
The link is particularly strong among diabetics.
In one recent study, 2,306 Chinese men with type 2 diabetes and no evidence of heart disease were followed for an average of 4 years. Men with erectile dysfunction were 1.6 times more likely to develop heart disease than were those without it, even after adjusting for other risk factors.
Separately, Italian researchers followed 291 men with diabetes who also had silent coronary artery disease that had been detected through angiography. After four years of follow-up, the men with erectile dysfunction were twice as likely to have a major heart problem as those who did not have the problem.
Health experts urge men with erectile dysfunction to seek medical attention, because treatments exist that can improve a man's sexual well-being, and that could lead to better health overall.
"We think that if men with erectile dysfunction went to see their physicians, it may enable the interaction with the physician to discuss other coronary risk factors," Thompson told HealthDay .
Erectile dysfunction, of course, is just one of the risk factors for heart disease. Men, however, are more likely to have a heart attack than are women, and they're apt to have a heart attack earlier in life, says the American Heart Association. Other risk factors include:
- Having a family history of heart disease.
- Being older.
- Being a smoker.
- Having high blood pressure.
- Having elevated cholesterol levels.
- Being physically inactive.
- Being overweight.
- Having diabetes.
On the Web
To learn more about men and heart disease, visit the Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SOURCES:
HealthDay News ; Ian Thompson, M.D., professor and chairman, Department of Urology, and the Glenda and Gary Woods Distinguished Chair, Genitourinary Oncology, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas; Jan. 23, 2006, Archives of Internal Medicine ; May 27, 2008, Journal of the American College of Cardiology ; National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Md.; American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org); Cleveland Clinic (http://my.clevelandclinic.org); American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org)
Author:
Karen Pallarito
Publication Date:
Oct. 31, 2008
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