LA Times (March 16, 2010) — For the first time, German researchers in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association have shown that erectile dysfunction (ED) is a strong predictor of the likelihood that men will die of heart disease. That's a poignant statement.
Many consider the underlying cause of ED to be more emotional than physical. Yet, researchers have long seen a link between ED and heart disease. Cardiologist at USC's Keck School of Medicine, Dr. Robert Kloner notes: "arteries in the penis are smaller, so atherosclerosis shows up there sooner," perhaps three to four years before the onset of cardiovascular disease.
When a patient seeks ED treatment, from a general practitioner or urologist, he should be given a comprehensive physical to look for heart disease and referred to a cardiologist.
Dr. Michael Bohm, a cardiologist at Germany's Saarland University, and his colleagues studied 1,519 men from 13 countries. Many men with ED see a general practitioner or a urologist to get treatment and are prescribed drugs like Viagra or Cialis, Bohm said in a statement. "The drug works and the patient doesn't show up any more. These men are being treated for ED, but not the underlying cardiovascular disease. A whole segment of men is being placed at risk."
Reference
Read complete 2010 article at LATimes.com.