Elder care

Heart Dieases and Erectile Dysfunction: Is There Any Connection?

shutterstock_14464564Does erectile dysfunction pose a risk to heart health? This is a question that has been posed through the years with varying answers. In most cases, erectile dysfunction occurrence is commonly an indicator that heart disease is not far behind. As severity of erectile dysfunction grows, so does cardiovascular risk increase as well as chances of death resulting from heart failure.

According to a research published in the Journal PLoS, which was performed by Australian researchers, men with known to have heart disease as well as severe erectile dysfunction fare worst of all and their outlook is grim. Men of 45 years and above who showed mild signs of erectile dysfunction without any signs of heart disease were up to 50%more likely to be hospitalized for heart problems in time. It is for that very reason that erectile dysfunction is linked to heart disease as studies show erectile dysfunction boost chances of heart disease.

In most cases erectile dysfunction is seen in older men and so is heart disease. Upon signs of erectile dysfunction being manifested, it is highly advisable that one seeks for regular heart checks so as to stay safe. The reason behind this is there are similar blood vessels in the heart as in the genitals, thus, if there is a problem with the genitals which mostly revolves around the circulatory system, there could be reason to believe that heart health might be affected in time. Early detection of heart disease increases the likelihood of a treatment being found as opposed to when it occurs out of the blues as it may cause death.
It is estimated from a study that up to 60% of men aged 70 and above may suffer from varying instances of sexual dysfunction. These may in some cases be mild forms to severe forms of erectile dysfunction. This condition may be quite damaging especially on the ego as the men tend to place a lot of importance to their sexual prowess. This causes them to make use of sexual enhancing drugs such as Viagra but these drugs pose an all new set of challenges with regards to their side effects.

Impotence may be caused by various factors, but it is important to note that erectile dysfunction is mainly an underlying factor that contributes to heart disease. Although it is not very clear to doctors why erectile dysfunction points towards heart disease. One of the logic that has been fronted is that the arteries in the penis are much smaller than those in the other parts of the body. It is for that reason that problems with circulation will first be manifested in the genitals before the problem manifests itself in other areas of the body.

The study performed on erectile dysfunction as well as heart disease evaluated over 95,000 men of ages 45 and above between the years 2006 - 2009. The results were adjusted to factor in lifestyle choices such as food, smoking as well as alcohol intake. From this, it was established that up to 60% of men with erectile dysfunction stood at a higher risk to contract heart disease as compared to those without the dysfunction. These men were also at risk of an early death resulting from heart disease if no urgent steps were taken to mitigate against the issue.

With such grim statistics, it goes without saying that men need to be wary of their health and health choices when erectile dysfunction manifests itself, however, mild it may be. This is because heart disease is quite common today and any action made to mitigate against it might result in one saving their very life. It is also highly advisable that one gets medication approved by a doctor as opposed to taking self-administered drugs such as Viagra so as to deal with erectile dysfunction as they are short term in action. Since heart disease does not present any symptoms, it is really worth the while to check out heart health occasionally, especially if you are past the age of 45 to be on the safe side.

Reference

https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/male-sexual-health/

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