Erectile Dysfunction

—Specialisation

Quick Answer

Quick Answer: Erectile Dysfunction

What is erectile dysfunction?+

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is the consistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual activity. Occasional difficulty is normal; persistent ED warrants evaluation as it can signal underlying vascular disease.

What causes erectile dysfunction?+

Common causes include vascular disease (the most frequent), diabetes, low testosterone, neurological conditions, medication side-effects, smoking, and psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, or depression — often in combination.

How is erectile dysfunction treated?+

First-line treatment is oral PDE5 inhibitors (sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil). Other options include low-intensity shockwave therapy, vacuum erection devices, intra-cavernosal injections, and penile implants for refractory cases.

Is ED a sign of heart disease?+

It can be. The arteries supplying the penis are small, and they often narrow before larger arteries do. Persistent ED — especially in men over 40 — warrants assessment for hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular risk.

Erectile Dysfunction (ED), historically called impotence, is the consistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection adequate for satisfactory sexual activity. ED has vascular, neurological, hormonal or psychological causes, and frequently a combination. Studies suggest approximately 40% of men experience some degree of ED at some point in their lives. Modern treatment is highly effective in the great majority of cases.

Causes

There are many causes that result in erectile dysfunction. The following are the most important causes.

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Diabetes

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Cardiovascular disease

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Neurological problems

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Side effects of the drugs

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Hormonal insufficiencies

Psychological factors – stress, performance anxiety, depression – can both cause and result from ED. Addressing the emotional component is often as important as addressing the physical one.

Underlying Causes

There are certain underlying causes that would result in erectile dysfunction.

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Arsenic contamination in drinking water

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Potassium deficiency

Signs and Symptoms

The clear problem of erectile dysfunction is the repeated inability or regular inability to maintain or obtain an erection. The same symptoms are experienced in many of the ways.

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When erections occur normally during sleep or with self-stimulation but fail during partnered activity, the cause is more likely psychological than physical.

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Other important symptoms or a factor that are found to be causing or leading this medical condition is diabetes mellitus.

Causes

There are many of the causes that would lead or result in erectile dysfunction. These are as follows.

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Neurogenic disorders

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Surgery

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Drugs, which are anti-depressants

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Psychological causes, like mental disorders, stress and performance anxiety

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Aging, as it is more prominent and about 4 times more in men after 60s, when compared to the age at 40s

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Cavernosal disorders

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Kidney failure

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Some kinds of diseases like multiple sclerosis and diabetes mellitus

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Lifestyle, in terms of their smoking habits, because smoking promotes arterial narrowing and causes impotence

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Bicycling is one of the factors and causes to small degree, because of both vascular problems as well as the neurological problems that cause from the compression. This risk is about 1.7 fold.

Diagnosis

Erectile dysfunction does not need any kind of formal tests to be done. However, there are certain blood tests done, to exclude the other or underlying disease, like prlctinoma and hypogonadism. ED is closely associated with obesity, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, smoking and cardiovascular disease – ED is often the first warning sign of an underlying vascular problem. So, initially medical professionals perform a thorough physical examination. The physical examination can be helpful to find the groin hernia, which is undetected previously and once detected, can be easily curable. A careful clinical history – including the pattern of erections, presence of morning erections, and trigger situations – is the most important step in distinguishing physiological from psychological causes. Various diagnostic methods that are used to determine the accuracy of the cause and condition are the following