Impotence can indicate heart disease

Men who suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED) will often develop heart disease symptoms within two to three years of impotence and actually experience a heart attack or other serious event within three to five years, according to latest research.

An extensive review of more than 100 existing studies carried out by an international team of researchers found that:

• ED in otherwise healthy men and those with type 2 diabetes may be associated with early signs of heart disease, including reduced blood flow and calcification of the arteries.
• Men with ED generally exhibit more severe heart disease those without ED and there is a link between the severity of their ED and the severity of the heart disease.
• In around two-thirds of men, heart disease is preceded by ED. The association in younger men aged between 40 and 69 is much clearer than in men over 70.

This shows the link between men who have heart disease and previously had ED. The study also shows that men who had ED have a 14 per cent higher risk of developing heart disease than men who do not have ED.

However it should be pointed out that the increase is from 4.3 per cent to 4.9 per cent.

For men in their sixties the risk increased from 16.6 per cent to 21.1 per cent.

One of the study leaders, Dr Graham Jackson, commented: "It has been suggested that because the arteries supplying the penis are smaller than those supplying the heart, they will be affected by reduced blood flow - a major cause of ED - before the symptoms of CAD develop."

"This theory may underpin the findings that men with ED seldom report overt symptoms of CAD (coronary artery disease) , but those with CAD often report pre-existing ED symptoms."

The study calls for a greater awareness in health professionals of the links between ED and heart disease. "Recognising the relationship between ED and CAD will improve and save lives" says Dr Jackson. "That is why wider awareness of the links is essential."

The study was published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

This article was published on Thu 20 May 2010