Erectile dysfunction : A problem with a solution

If youre a man, and youre reading this article, chances are youve experienced erectile dysfunction.

One out of two men over age 40 have had difficulty attaining and maintaining an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, doctors say. And while the numbers are smaller, even some younger men may have difficulty developing an erection.

However, more than at any other time in history, erectile dysfunction is a problem with a solution, doctors note. Medications and external and internal treatments have improved dramatically, allowing thousands of men to return to healthy sexual functioning. Likewise the stigma has decreased with public awareness.

Over the past 20 years, increased media attention, scores of television ads for medications like Viagra and Cialis and starring roles in movies and television shows have moved erectile dysfunction out of the shadows and onto the list of common health concerns.

If men have become aware of their treatment options, theyre aware its not just them, said Dr. Lawrence Hakim, chairman of the department of urology and head of the Section of Sexual Dysfunction at Cleveland Clinic Florida.

Hakim cautions men to see a doctor. Erectile dysfunction is caused by a lack of adequate blood flow, he said, which can be an indicator of a potentially life-threatening health problem.

Erectile dysfunction is a marker. It can be the first sign of other underlying disease, Hakim said. A guy starts having erection problems not realizing why two years later he has a heart attack.

The problem can result from a number of health issues, said Dr. Bruce Kava, chief of urology service at the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center and associate professor of clinical urology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

The primary causes we see for people with erectile dysfunction are related to the vascular system underlying heart disease, medications, surgeries, diabetes, high blood pressure, Kava said.

Surgeries for prostate cancer, bladder and certain colorectal cancers may result in erectile dysfunction, he added.

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Erectile dysfunction : A problem with a solution