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A recent study estimates that
lot of men suffer from various degrees of
erectile dysfunction. This can range from mild to severe. It is clearly an
age-related phenomenon with the prevalence of erectile dysfunction increasing
significantly with age. Surprisingly, by the time men reach 40, 5% of them are
completely impotent never achieving an erection rigid enough for penetration.
Approximately 15% have significant problems achieving or maintaining an
erection.
Causes of erectile dysfunction:
In 90% of the cases involving men older than 35, the causes are physical in
nature. In men who are younger than 35, it is generally a psychological issue.
However, even in the cases of those patients for whom the psychological issues
are the primary factor, medical means may be used to help solve the problem.
Here are some main reason:
Vascular: A man must be able to move
blood into the penis and maintain it there in order to achieve an erection.
Arteries are the vehicles which bring the blood into the penis. Any process
which damages the arteries and increases the chances of vascular disease would
make a man more likely to have erectile dysfunction. A history of arterial
disease (e.g. coronary artery, heart disease, strokes or peripheral vascular
disease) indicates that the penile arteries are also at risk. In fact, erectile
dysfunction may often appear before any of these more severe manifestations of
vessel disease. Thus, smoking is one of the most common contributing causes to
erectile dysfunction. Other causes include high blood pressure (especially if it
uncontrolled), heart disease, high
cholesterol and diabetes.
Neurological: A man must have an
intact neurological system in order for an erection to occur. Thus patients with
multiple sclerosisor or those who have had damage to their peripheral nerves
from diabetes may also suffer from erectile dysfunction.
Hormonal: Significantly, low
testosterone and thyroid hormones or a very high prolactin may cause problems
with erections.
Psychological: This can be a
primary problem or a secondary problem. In some cases men may not
achieve an erection primarily because of psychological issues. Additionally
however, many men have a significant psychological responses to what is initially a primary physical problem. Once a man loses
confidence in his erections, his attitude and interest level may change and
diminish. At that point he may develop increasing difficulty achieving and
maintaining an erection.
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