Erectile Dysfunction [ED] is Frequently a Manifestation of Underlying Cardiovascular Problems, www.HeartAndBodyExtract.org
For men, flagging potency can be a red flag that something's not right in the cardiovascular system. And experts say men who rush to fix the problem with impotence drugs may be ignoring a bigger threat to their health. McCullough's advice? 'Go see your doctor.' www.HeartAndBodyExtract.org
(PRWEB) August 21, 2005 -- For men, flagging potency can be a red flag that
something's not right in the cardiovascular system. And experts say men who rush
to fix the problem with impotence drugs may be ignoring a bigger threat to their
health.
www.HeartAndBodyExtract.org
"Erectile dysfunction [ED
is frequently a manifestation of underlying cardiovascular problems. It even
precedes angina – it can be an early warning, in that respect," said Dr. Andrew
McCullough, director of male sexual health, fertility and microsurgery at New
York University School of Medicine in New York City.
The advent of
Viagra, Cialis and Levitra has put the research spotlight back on ED, and a
series of studies are suggesting that, for most men, the condition has
physiological, not psychological, origins.
Early in 2004, researchers led
by Dr. Alan Bank of the St. Paul Heart Clinic in Minnesota published a study
showing that the arteries of men with ED expanded less efficiently than men
without erectile difficulties -- a possible sign of underlying heart
disease.
www.HeartAndBodyExtract.org
McCullough likened ED to a
common plumbing problem: "If you turn on your kitchen faucet and you don't get
any flow, either the faucet's broken or the pipes are clogged."
www.HeartAndBodyExtract.org
For men with advanced heart
disease, the clogged-pipe explanation probably holds true, since buildup of
cholesterol in arteries can greatly reduce blood flow.
But many men with
ED aren't anywhere near this stage of cardiovascular deterioration. For them,
the faucet -- the vessels inside the penis and the smooth muscle around them --
may be broken on a biochemical level.
"We're learning that erectile
dysfunction is largely due to reduced nitric oxide in the endothelium, the inner
lining of blood vessels," explained Dr. David Gutterman, professor of medicine
at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
As blood flow demands
increase (as happens during an erection), the endothelium releases nitric oxide
to help trigger blood vessel expansion.
"Nitric oxide is very important
for normal erectile function," Gutterman said. "It's also -- and here's the link
to heart disease -- very important as an anti-atherosclerotic agent, resisting
'hardening of the arteries.' "
In that sense, ED may serve as an early
signal that blood vessels elsewhere in the body aren't expanding as they should,
either.
It's no coincidence, then, that drugs such as Viagra -- which
helps increase nitric oxide levels in the endothelium -- were first studied as
possible treatments for cardiac trouble.
www.HeartAndBodyExtract.org
"However, it was found that
these drugs do this better in some organs rather than others," Gutterman said.
Looking at the problem from the other side, Bank's team is currently researching
whether or not the statin family of cholesterol-lowering drugs might help fight
ED.
"We do know that statins improve the function of the enzyme, nitric
oxide synthase, that produces nitric oxide inside the blood vessels," Gutterman
pointed out. "That's probably related to the very mechanism that helps get rid
of ED."
In the meantime, men with erectile difficulties should stop
and
consider the possible underlying cause of that dysfunction,
McCullough
said.
"Initially, when Viagra was first approved, there were all kinds of
direct-to-consumer ads associating ED with a physiologic process, to convince
men that it wasn't just psychological, and that it might be linked to underlying
cardiovascular disease," he said.
www.HeartAndBodyExtract.org
"But now, there's a
minimalization of all that in these ads. So guys who have these problems just
say 'OK, I'll go online and get some Viagra,' " McCullough said.
But that
type of attitude has its dangers, he said.
"One of the most serious
things, in my mind, is the guy who fails Viagra, Cialis, Levitra. Because to me,
that suggests he's got more serious underlying disease than some guy for whom it
works," he said.
McCullough's advice? "Go see your doctor." Visit Healthy
Hearts Club Today!
www.HeartAndBodyExtract.org
Gutterman agreed. "Some
folks with undiagnosed heart disease might not get chest pain first, but they'll
get erectile dysfunction. It's just another way of picking up on early coronary
disease." Visit Healthy Hearts Club Today!
www.HeartAndBodyExtract.org
# # #
Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/8/prweb275323.htm