Treatment
The Physical Causes of Erectile Dysfunction
Blockage of Blood Vessels: The primary cause of oxygen deprivation is ischemia, the blockage of blood vessels. The same conditions that cause blockage in the blood vessels leading to heart problems also cause erectile dysfunction. For example, when cholesterol and other factors are imbalanced, a fatty substance called plaque forms on artery walls not different from the way plague develops on teeth. As the plaque builds up, the arterial walls get smaller and blood flow is reduced. This process, known as arteriosclerosis, is the major contributor to the development of coronary heart disease.
Diabetes may contribute to as many as 40% of impotence cases. Between one third and one half of all diabetic men report some form of sexual difficulty.
High Blood Pressure: Erectile dysfunction is more common and more severe in men with hypertension than it is in the general population. In addition most of the drugs used to treat to treat hypertension are thought to cause impotence as a side effect; but which is reversible once the medication is stopped.
Parkinson’s disease: As a risk factor for impotence, Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an under-appreciated problem. It is estimated that about one-third of men with PD experience impotence.
Multiple Sclerosis affects the central nervous system, also leads to sexual dysfunction in as many as 78% of males suffering from MS.
Prostate Cancer and its Treatments: can damage nerves needed for normal erectile function.
Radiation: The side effects of radiation therapy include most of those of surgery, but it does not pose any significant risk for impotence and incontinence.
Medications: about a quarter of all cases of impotence can be attributed to medications. Many drugs pose a risk for erectile dysfunction. Among the drugs that are common causes of impotence are the following:
*chemotherapy drugs
*Many drugs taken for high blood pressure, particularly diuretics and beta blockers.
*Most drugs used for psychological disorders, including anti-anxiety drugs, anti-psychotic drugs, and antidepressants.
Physical Trauma, Stress or Injury
Injury: spinal cord injury and pelvic trauma, such as a pelvic fracture, can cause nerve damage that result in impotence.
Bicycling: Because regular bicycling can lead to reduced blood flow to the penis.
Vasectomy: does not in it self lead to erectile dysfunction. When impotence occurs after this procedure, it is often in men whose female partners were unable to accept the operation.
Hormonal Abnormalities: Hypogonadism in men is a deficiency in male hormones, usually due to an abnormality in the testicles, which secrete these hormones. It affects 4 to 5 million men in the United States.
Low Testosterone Levels: only about 5% of men who see a physician about erectile dysfunction have low levels of testosterone, the primary male hormone. In general, lower testosterone levels appear to reduce sexual interest, not cause impotence. A 1999 study, however, suggests that testosterone levels are not an accurate reflection of sexual drive.
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