Erectile dysfunction can be a total inability to achieve erection or a tendency to sustain brief erections.
In older men, erectile dysfunction has a physical cause, such as an injury, disease or side effects of drugs.
Few men realize the problem and very few discuss about their problem with the doctor.
Men who smoke are at risk of erectile dysfunction:
Men who smoke are at risk of developing ED. The more cigarettes they smoke, the greater is the risk. Smoking and erectile dysfunction are associated with build up of plaque in the arteries, called atherosclerosis. This plaque obstructs the flow of blood through vessels and causes circulatory problems throughout the body, such as erectile dysfunction.
Compared with non-smokers, men who smoked ten cigarettes per day had a greater risk of erectile dysfunction. Even when the smokers quit, the risk did not decrease.
Erectile dysfunction and heart trouble:
ED is related to cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease. ED is often caused by cardiovascular disease. You may identify decreased flow of blood to the penis as being less strong, a weaker erection, and that may actually be one of the first indications of heart disease.
Men with ED had poor exercise and had significantly coronary artery blockages. When men are sent for stress test, the presence of ED is a strong risk factor for underlying heart atttacks.
Vascular endothelium plays an important role in regulation of circulation. It is the thin layer of cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels. The link between ED and endothelium is the formation of nitric oxide. Once the inability of nitric oxide generation happens, ED may result.
Erectile problems are not always cardiovascular in nature. Sometimes, the trouble can be neurological or psychological and would not necessarily be associated with heart disease risk.
Erectile dysfunction can be due to mechanism failure, which keeps blood held in the penis. Reduced flow of blood can arise from impaired endothelial function. Erectile dysfunction shares several risk factors with cardiovascular disease, including lack of exercise, poor diet, smoking, high blood pressure and overweight.
Managing the erectile dysfunction:
Medications such as Levitra, Cialis and Viagra are effective, but they don’t work for all. For someone, they can be fatal with heart disease taking nitroglycerin.
Penile prosthesis: This is an operation done for thirty minutes and during operation, a device is placed into the penis, completely concealed. After healing for four to six weeks, the man can get full erection as long as he wants, without interfering with urination and sensation.
Once the man ejaculates, erections can be maintained. The device can be deflated by the activation of pump which is inside the scrotum. With this procedure, there is no priapism risk.
