Erectile Dysfunction and Heart Disease

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Nov 5, 2014/ 0 Comments / in Erectile Dysfunction / by
Erectile Dysfunction and Heart Disease

Erectile Dysfunction and Heart Disease

You might be surprised to know that there is a link between erectile dysfunction and heart disease. Men with ED are at a risk of developing cardiovascular disease. According to the Health Professionals Follow-up study, risk factors for ED are similar to those for heart disease.

Relation Between ED and Cardiovascular Disease

Aging & EDObesity, diabetes, smoking, hypertension, and high cholesterol are some of the conditions that predict erectile dysfunction. These factors are also linked to heart disease.

A recent Italian study conducted on men suffering from cardiovascular disease claims that 93% of them experienced sexual dysfunction almost two years before the onset of heart disease symptoms. Further, Australian researchers assert that a majority of men with moderate or severe ED were at a high risk of heart problems. The researchers believe that men with a history of heart disease and ED were even more at a risk of being hospitalized for cardiovascular problems.

Experts are of the opinion that one of the early warning signs of cardiovascular problems is ED and that the severity of ED puts men at a greater risk of heart disease.

What’s the Connection?

As all of us know that a major cause of heart disease or attack is the inability of the arteries to carry blood to the heart and other organs, primarily due to atherosclerosis, which is the hardening of arteries due to plaque buildup. This process affects smaller arteries first, such as that of the penis. As the disease process unfolds, arteries in your penis get blocked initially, causing erectile dysfunction problems. Thus ED is being dubbed as a biomarker or “canary in the trousers” for cardiovascular problems.

As a result, men with erectile dysfunction are more likely to experience heart problems than those that do not. The presence of ED should be treated as a clinical warning sign of cardiovascular disease.

Thus it is important that men with ED get their hearts checked on a regular basis to find if there is any blockage of the arteries carrying blood to the heart and other important organs.

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