Impotence Can Foreshadow Coronary Artery Disease

2006/07/19

Doctors should monitor heart health of patients with erectile dysfunction, study says

Impotence is more prevalent among men who have more severe coronary artery disease than among men with low levels of the disease.

And because impotence - erectile dysfunction - manifests itself two to three years sooner than coronary artery disease, the condition essentially serves as a "sentinel of the heart" - or early warning system for cardiac trouble, a new Italian study found.

"It's an important message to get out," said Dr. Ira Sharlip, a spokesman for the American Urological Association. "There's an increasing body of knowledge that tells us that erectile dysfunction is a form of cardiovascular disease and often predates the onset of other forms of clinical cardiovascular disease, specifically coronary disease."

Erectile dysfunction affects, to some degree, 52 percent of men aged 40 to 70 years in the United States and 322 million men worldwide. The condition is linked with age, risk factors for hardening of the arteries and heart disease. The paper was expected to be published Wednesday in the online edition of the European Heart Journal.

Erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease share many of the same risk factors, including diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, depression, and lack of physical activity.