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Erectile Dysfunction
is associated with Diabetes and Cardiovascular risk
Factors
It has been estimated that up to 50-60 percent of diabetic
men have erectile
dysfunction. The type of diabetes most common in
young people is so life-threatening that it is usually
diagnosed quickly, but diabetes that appears in middle
age can be missed. Seek urgent professional advice for
symptoms such as tiredness, dizziness, excessive thirst,
recurrent pins and needles, blurred vision, or frequent
urination
Impotence in men is attached independently with silent coronary artery disease
(CAD) with apparently uncomplicated Type 2 diabetes.
In diabetes, the body may stop producing insulin, produce
too little, or produce plenty but become insulin-resistant
and unable to use it. Diabetes occurs when the body
has lost the ability to keep its blood sugar level within
the range needed for good health.
Diabetes can damage the blood vessels and nerves that
control erection. Therefore, even if you have normal
amounts of male hormones and you have the desire to
have sex, you still may not be able to achieve a firm
erection. Neuropathy isn't the only cause of impotence
in men with diabetes.
The causes of erectile dysfunction in men with diabetes
are complex and involve impairments in nerve, blood
vessel, and muscle function. Many people who have had
diabetes for a long time also have vascular disease,
which may diminish the flow of blood to the penis and
simply living with diabetes can be stressful enough
in itself to affect sexual performance.
Dr. Carmine Gazzaruso from the Maugeri Foundation
Hospital in Pavia, Italy revealed that "systematic
screening for silent CAD is not justified among patients
with uncomplicated diabetes since there is low probability
of finding significant CAD and ED may help in discriminating
subjects to test for silent CAD among Type 2 diabetic
patients without apparent complications and with a relatively
low global cardiovascular risk."
Since ED is intimately associated with the health
of the vascular system, a man needs to have his cardiovascular
risk factors thoroughly examined so that maybe we can
do some prevention. This clearly shows that prevention
can affect erectile function.
The circulatory system is responsible for supplying
the body with blood, it pumps blood from the heart to
the lungs to receive oxygen and then back to the heart
to be pumped through the body to the brains, kidneys,
organs of digestion and reproduction and extremities
returning then to the heart to begin over again.
Exercise testing before initiating drug therapy for
ED should be considered, especially in patients with
additional cardiovascular risk factors. Gazzaruso's
team discovered that about a third (33.8 percent) of
patients with silent coronary artery disease had ED.
On the other hand, just 5 percent of men without heart
disease were affected by erectile problems. Gazzaruso
recommended that a cardiovascular evaluation by a doctor
should be done before starting drug therapy for ED.
There are three drugs that are effective for most
men - Viagra, Cialis
and Levitra. Viagra is the most well known drug and
available in the U.S. for the past five years. Cialis
is also popular in France and it is known by its new
name there, i.e., "le Weekend" pills.
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