Therefore, physicians should determine the cause of a man's erectile dysfunction and recommend additional evaluation in cases where it may be the result of diseased blood vessels, says the researcher.
Erectile dysfunction is defined as an inability to achieve or maintain an erection.
We now understand that atherosclerosis detected in one set of blood vessels markedly increases the chances of having this form of blood vessel disease in other areas of the body including the heart, brain, legs and kidneys. Our population of patients was a very select group. We do not wish to suggest that heart disease is behind every case of erectile dysfunction. However, a man having regular sexual activity who experiences a consistent change in erectile function may be demonstrating signs of atherosclerosis where arteries become clogged and the heart muscle does not receive enough blood. As we become more thorough in our questioning of patients, it is not uncommon to hear that erectile dysfunction preceded the onset of heart disease by a year or more.