Erectile dysfunction is strong predictor of fatal heart ailments, German study finds

[IDemo]

Source: Los Angeles Times

For the first time, researchers have shown that erectile dysfunction is a strong predictor of the likelihood that men will die of heart disease.

Men who suffer from the problem, which some consider more an emotional than a physical issue, are twice as likely to succumb to cardiovascular disease or heart attacks as those who do not have the problem, German researchers reported Monday in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Assn.

Researchers have known for years that there is a link between erectile dysfunction, commonly abbreviated as ED, and heart disease, said Dr. Sahil Parikh, an interventional cardiologist from University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, who was not involved in the study. "But now there is pretty clear evidence that there is a substantially increased risk of heart attack and death when patients have erectile dysfunction," he said.

The results are probably not too surprising, added Dr. Robert Kloner, a cardiologist at USC's Keck School of Medicine, "because arteries in the penis are smaller, so atherosclerosis shows up there sooner," perhaps three to four years before the onset of cardiovascular disease.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-ed-heart16-2010mar16,0,320804.story

[Ian David]

1. Looks like I'm gonna live forever! n/t

[Fridays Child]

7. Braggart.

:bounce:

[xchrom]

2. Recommend - they've been suggesting this my be the case

Nice to see more concrete evidence.

[CreekDog]

8. .

:wtf:

:rofl:

[crim son]

3. Hmmmm.

So there is justice, after all. :P

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. I know it would break my heart.... really it would. n'/t

[supernova]

5. Dr Oz refers to the penis as

the man's dipstick of health.

Looks like he's right.

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Watch for good deals on pre-owned Hummers.

[madmom]

9. Not to mention a good reason to get ED meds paid for by insurance.

[Duer 157099]

10. Especially if it's shown that the ED drugs actually push them over the edge

I would think that these patients would be more likely to die during sex from a heart attack. So, yeah, health insurance companies would be happy about that.

Maybe ED is nature's way of saying "slow down, you don't want to die of a heart attack now do you?"

[Doctor_J]

11. OK, the jokes pretty much write themselves on this one

let the hilarity begin

[bemildred]

12. The penis never lies. nt

[safeinOhio]

13. I see no empathy here from

female DUers. How sad. Blame a man for his condition and then poke fun like it breaks your heart and there is justice.

So, 2 weeks ago I buy a pink tee shirt and wear it at a basketball game to support research for breast cancer. Never again. How about some laughs for sagging boobs?:puke:

[bemildred]

14. LOL.

:popcorn::popcorn:

[xchrom]

15. Some of the responses here are very interesting. Nt

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

16. The arteries in his penis may be smaller....

In all seriousness though many heart conditions cause ED or the medicines to treat the heart conditions cause the ED.

[gkhouston]

17. +1. Although I wouldn't be surprised if the ED meds played a contributing role.

It's not good news, no matter how you look at it.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

18. Certainly if they are taken with other vasodilators they can cause problems.

[safeinOhio]

19. They could help with angina

Viagra was discovered by heart patients that were taking nitro pills for chest pain. It is about the same drug and does the same thing in opening arteries for better blood flow.
There are many different cause for ED. Bad or clogged arteries, smoking, diabetes and many more. My dad had ED for over 40 years, but died of renal failure at age 95.
gkhuston has helped restore my faith in progressive women.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

20. Viagra was being tested as a treatment for angina in people that didn't respond well to nitro.

It proved ineffective in treating angina but it's other side effect was discovered and here we are. Interestingly it is also used to treat primary pulmonary hypertension. Combining it with nitro though can prove fatal as it can cause a precipitous drop in blood pressure.

[bemildred]

21. Well, one ought to take into account the aging process too.

There is nothing abnormal about not getting a hardon from time to time once you leave youth behind.

[supernova]

22. It's not the occasional staff at half-mast

that's the problem. Everybody has a off night once in a while.

It's that many men (and their partners, ahem) are living with a condition that is much more serious than just needing viagra every time. Giggle. Giggle.

I think the point of the article is, if you need viagra all the time, then you need to investigate the extent to which you may have atherosclerosis.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

25. Doctors shoudn't be prescribing Viagra without investigating the cause of the ED.

[supernova]

26. They shouldn't be

but many are.

I have a friend that got some samples from the Doc's office... no questions asked, just the mere mention that he was having "trouble."

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

27. If that was after a recent physical then it might have been appropriate.

If your friend said he had some occasional trouble and the doc was quite familiar with the patient I don't have a problem with him giving out samples.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

24. Actually there is something abnormal about it.

Barring a medical condition or injury there is no reason a man of any age shouldn't get an erection on occasion.

[M155Y_A1CH]

23. My mother was prescribed Viagra

Mom was a heart patient for years before she died and
was on Viagra for her last couple years.
It was prescribed to help increase circulation in her extremities.
She was diabetic and there was the fear of losing her legs,
as many older diabetics do. This was seven years ago.