The American Urological Association says men with erectile dysfunction should be told that the condition may be a warning sign of underlying cardiovascular disease, including a future heart attack.
The group says this should be followed by broader testing and, when needed, treatment.
Cardiologists have warned for years that in some patients erectile dysfunction can appear one, two, or even three years before symptoms of coronary artery disease. Those symptoms can include chest pressure and chest pain linked to angina, a condition caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle.
The connection is mainly explained by atherosclerosis, the gradual narrowing of arteries by fatty deposits. This process does not affect only the coronary arteries that supply the heart. It can also develop in other blood vessels, including those in the neck, legs and penis.
Because the blood vessels in the penis are smaller, they may lose proper blood flow sooner. That is why erection problems can sometimes appear before a heart attack or other clear signs of cardiovascular disease.
Despite the scale of the problem, only about 15 percent of men with erectile difficulties seek medical help.
Doctors say that leaves many patients without treatment and may delay the discovery of serious heart and blood vessel disease, but stress that erectile dysfunction does not always mean a heart attack is coming.
Still, worsening symptoms should be taken seriously. Men with such problems are advised to speak with a doctor, such as a urologist or cardiologist, to assess their broader health risks.
The same risk factors that raise the danger of heart disease and stroke also increase the risk of erectile dysfunction. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, smoking, heavy alcohol use, long-term stress and lack of sleep.
Doctors can order additional tests to assess a patient’s cardiovascular risk. Men with several of these risk factors are considered especially vulnerable.
Effective medicines for erectile dysfunction are available, including drugs known as PDE5 inhibitors, such as sildenafil and tadalafil.
But specialists say treatment of symptoms should not replace a fuller medical check when vascular disease may be developing in the background.
In Poland, erectile dysfunction affects an estimated 2 to 3 million men, mostly those over 50. It also occurs in younger men, often because of psychological causes such as stress and fatigue, or because of unhealthy lifestyle habits including smoking and excessive alcohol use.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP