Health
Problems and Erectile Dysfunction Are Linked
More than 18 million men in the US are affected by erectile
dysfunction, says a report from the American Journal
of Medicine.
The problem is particularly acute among men with cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, and those who get little exercise, say researchers at the
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
"The association of erectile dysfunction with diabetes and
other cardiovascular risk factors can serve as a powerful motivator for men
in whom diet and lifestyle changes are really indicated," says study author
Elizabeth Selvin, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins.
"If you control your diabetes, and treat existing risk factors
and do things to prevent diabetes and control your blood pressure and cholesterol
levels, not only will you reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes,
but you will also improve your sexual function," she says.
In the study, Dr. Selvin's team collected data on more than
2,100 men who participated in the National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Men who said they
were "sometimes able" or "never able" to
achieve and keep an erection were classified as having erectile dysfunction,
while men who said they were "always or almost always able" or "usually able" were
not.
"There is a high prevalence of erectile dysfunction among
men with cardiovascular risk factors and men with diabetes," says Dr. Selvin. "Screening
for erectile dysfunction among men with hypertension and diabetes may be important.”
The researchers found that the overall prevalence of erectile
dysfunction among US men was just over 18 percent.
Age was a strong risk factor - men 70 and older accounted
for 70 percent of those with erectile dysfunction. In contrast, just 5 percent
of men with erectile problems were between the ages of 20 and 40.
Erectile dysfunction was especially linked to diabetes.
"It's important for physicians to know that more than 50
percent of their male diabetic patients are affected by erectile dysfunction," notes
Dr. Selvin.
In addition, almost 90 percent of men with erectile dysfunction
had at least one risk factor for heart disease, including diabetes, high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, or smoking.
"Moreover, men who are physically inactive and had high
rates of sedentary behavior, such as watching three or more hours of TV per
day, were much more likely to have erectile dysfunction compared with men who
were physically active," explains Dr. Selvin, so, "increasing exercise may
be an effective non-pharmacologic treatment."
One expert agreed that erectile dysfunction is a widespread
problem.
"This study reiterates what we know, that erectile dysfunction
is highly prevalent in the Unites States," says Dr. Hossein Sadeghi-Nejad,
director of the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine at Hackensack University
Medical Center.
Dr. Sadeghi-Nejad believes that physicians should screen
men for erectile dysfunction.
"It's an important quality-of-life issue, and the factors
that help prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes may help decrease erectile
dysfunction," he adds.
By changing lifestyle
and treating underlying heart disease and diabetes, you can decrease the
chances of developing erectile dysfunction,
notes Dr. Sadeghi-Nejad. "Erectile dysfunction is not a mandatory side effect
of aging. Don't think of it as a normal process of aging."
Always consult your physician for more information.
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