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Erectile dysfunction

Description

Erectile dysfunction is the most common sexual disease in men. It is characterized by inability to attain a healthy penile erection required for sexual intercourse.

Erection is a response to stimuli from the brain when males are sexually excited. Impulse from the brain relaxes the penile muscles, filling up corpora cavernosa (chambers in penis) with blood resulting in erection. In erectile dysfunction, these impulses don’t reach the penis. This has a very harmful effect on sexual relationship and mental health.

Causes

Erectile dysfunction can be a result of an underlying disease or a direct cause. Some of the common causes are:

  • Diabetes
  • Heart disease
  • Stress
  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • High blood pressure (hypertension)
  • High cholesterol (hyperlipidemia)
  • Obesity
  • Hardening of arteries (atherosclerosis)
  • Renal (kidney) impairment
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Smoking
  • Past surgical history of prostate and urinary bladder.
Risk factors

There are many risk factors that can increase your chances of developing erectile dysfunction. Age is a major risk factor in the development of erectile dysfunction. Other factors include:

 

  • Diabetes type-II
  • Heart disease
  • Smoking
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Obesity
  • Stress, anxiety, or depression
  • Surgeries that damage the penile nerves
  • Use of anti-depressants and anti-hypertensive medicines.
Symptoms

Following are the characteristic symptoms of erectile dysfunction:

  • Inability to attain an erection
  • Inability to keep an erection
  • Reduced sexual need.
Diagnosis

To reach a diagnosis, your doctor will ask for your complete medical history, and perform a simple physical exam that may include examination of your testicles and penis. To confirm the diagnosis or find an underlying cause, your doctor may perform a few tests:

Blood tests: Blood tests are done measure the levels of glucose, cholesterol, testosterone, or blood cells.

Ultrasound: Ultrasound is done to check the blood flow to penis.

Management

The goal of management is a better sexual life for the patient and treatment of the underlying cause. It includes:

 

  • Lifestyle modification: The patient should include exercise (specific for erectile dysfunction) and yoga in daily routine. Yoga is helpful for treatment of stress, anxiety, and depression. Take a strict diet that is helpful increase your blood flow.
  • Medicines: Viagra (sildenafil), and other medicines like tadalafil, vardenafil, and avanafil have been found very helpful for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Do not use these medicines if you get normal erections.
  • Penis pumps: Penis pump is a device used to get an erection long enough to perform sexual intercourse.
  • Penis implant: An inflatable rod is implanted in the penis for getting an artificial erection.
When to consult a doctor?

Consult your doctor if there is no improvement or worsening of the condition, and other symptoms like premature ejaculation or delayed ejaculation.

Available Medicine for Erectile dysfunction