Impotence in men may also be a warning sign of a future heart attack or stroke, according to recent research. Those who find it hard to get an erection were twice as likely to suffer heart attacks, cardiac arrests, sudden cardiac death and fatal or non-fatal strokes.
The study suggested erectile dysfunction indicated a greater risk of heart disease – regardless of other risk factors, such as cholesterol, smoking and high blood pressure. Researchers say that the onset of erectile dysfunction should prompt men to immediately see a doctor.
They say their findings, published in the journal Circulation, suggest that erectile dysfunction is an important telltale sign that can help physicians gauge cardiovascular risk among middle-aged men. They followed more than 1,900 men, ages 60 to 78, over four years.
Last year the United Kingdom formally incorporated erectile dysfunction in the risk-scoring algorithm used by doctors to assess a patient’s 10-year risk for suffering an adverse cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke. Erectile dysfunction – defined as the inability to achieve or maintain an erection for satisfactory sexual intercourse – affects nearly one in five men over the age of 20, according to research.
Cardiovascular disease and erectile dysfunction share common risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, smoking, diabetes and metabolic syndrome – a condition marked by a cluster of features such as elevated blood sugar, hypertension and excess abdominal fat. Study senior investigator Doctor Michael Blaha, Associate Professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the United States, said: “Our results reveal that erectile dysfunction is, in and of itself, a potent predictor of cardiovascular risk.
“Our findings suggest that clinicians should perform further targeted screening in men with erectile dysfunction, regardless of other cardiac risk factors and should consider managing any other risk factors – such as high blood pressure or cholesterol – that much more aggressively.”
Limited evidence of a link between erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease has emerged over the last several years. But the results of the new study provide what researchers say is the strongest indication to date that sexual dysfunction indicates heightened cardiovascular risk.
During the four-year follow-up, there were a total of 115 fatal and non-fatal heart attacks, fatal and non-fatal strokes, cardiac arrests and sudden cardiac deaths. A greater proportion of men who reported erectile dysfunction (6.3 per cent) suffered heart attacks, cardiac arrests or strokes than men who didn’t report it (2.6 per cent).
When the researchers adjusted their analysis to eliminate the potential influence of other risk factors, that risk was lessened but still markedly higher: men with erectile dysfunction were nearly twice as likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke than other men. Dr Blaha said that men seeking treatment and evaluation for erectile dysfunction should be a signal to conduct a comprehensive cardiovascular evaluation.
He said men should be aware that erectile dysfunction places them at elevated risk for cardiovascular disease. Dr Blaha added: “The onset of erectile dysfunction should prompt men to seek comprehensive cardiovascular risk evaluation from a preventive cardiologist.
“It is incredible how many men avoid the doctor and ignore early signs of cardiovascular disease, but present for the first time with a chief complaint of erectile dysfunction. This is a wonderful opportunity to identify otherwise undetected high-risk cases.”