Erectile dysfunction, also called “impotence”, is one of the most common health problems affecting men. Erectile dysfunction can be a total inability to achieve erection, an inconsistent ability to do so, or a tendency to sustain only brief erections. Chronic ED affects about 5% of men in their 40s and 15-25% of men by the age of 65. Transient ED and inadequate erection affect as many as 50% of men between the ages of 40 and 70.

There is much hope thanks to modern medicine and techniques.

Causes

Erectile dysfunction has many underlying physical and psychological causes. Most men with physical causes usually have an associated psychological component. Underlying conditions of erectile dysfunction include the following:

Physical health conditions

Problems with the nervous system can affect the transmission of signals from the brain to the blood vessels in the penis. This occurs in conditions including multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and Parkinson’s disease. The nerves involved in sexual arousal can also be damaged in surgery to the pelvic area, such as removal of the prostate.

Vascular diseases account for nearly half of all cases of erectile dysfunction in men older than 50 years. These include atherosclerosis, veno-occlusive disease, peripheral vascular disease, arterial hypertension, history of heart attacks, blood vessel trauma, high cholesterol levels.

Systemic diseases associated with erectile dysfunction: Diabetes mellitus is a major cause of erection problems (about 60% of men with diabetes experience erectile dysfunction), scleroderma, kidney failure, liver cirrhosis, hemachromatosis, dyslipidemia, hypertension.

Neurologic diseases. Problems with the nervous system can affect the transmission of signals from the brain to the blood vessels in the penis. Diseases that affect the nervous system and are commonly associated with erectile dysfunction include: multiple sclerosis, spinal cord and brain injuries, parkinson’s disease, alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Respiratory disease associated with erectile dysfunction include: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sleep apnea

Conditions of the penis: Peyronie’s disease (a rare inflammatory condition that causes scarring of erectile tissue), epispadias, priapism, Infections.

By Yury Bayarski, Source: on-line-tribune-health.blogspot.com