Erectile dysfunction: taboo words in most circles - at home, at the gym, with your best friend or even in the presence of your doctor. But if you are a diabetic male, suffering from impaired intimacy or impotence, you could be at twice the risk for potentially dangerous cardiovascular problems.
About 80 percent of men suffering from diabetes already know that erectile dysfunction can be a distressing side effect of the illness. But it's one that may make men take notice, said Dr. John Buse, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association. Researchers in Hong Kong and Italy have found that ED may develop up to three years in advance of any vascular event in some diabetics, and can predict problems that may include chest pain, heart attack, stroke or even death. The results of both studies will appear in the latest issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
In the Hong Kong study, Dr. Peter C.Y. Tong, an associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and colleagues recruited 2,306 men with type 2 diabetes, but that had no history of vascular disease or stroke. After following the patients for an average of four years, those with erectile dysfunction at the start (about one fourth) were 58 percent more likely to have a heart attack or other major cardiac problems than the sexually healthy males.
The second studies lead by, Dr. Carmine Gazzaruso, a specialist at the Beato Matteo Hospital Group in Vigevano, Italy, involved 291 men who had type 2 diabetes as well a history of silent coronary artery disease (showing no symptoms). Of this group, 118 men had ED at the beginning of the study. Over a seven year period, 25 percent of the men suffering from ED developed serious cardiac problems, compared to 11 percent of the 173 men without impotence.
Erectile dysfunction is a good predictor of heart disease or stroke because both conditions have similar features. They both develop when blood flow is slowed or restricted, either by clots, fatty plaque build-up, or damage caused to the vessels by high levels of blood sugar—common in diabetes patients. Because the arteries in the penis are smaller than those in the heart, may be the reason ED often shows up sooner than vascular events, said Dr.Gazzaruso.
The Italian researchers reported that cholesterol-reducing statins lowered the incidence of cardiac events by a third, and Viagra and other drugs for erectile dysfunction also appeared to lower the risk. Although the reduction was not significant enough to rule out that it might be just by chance, much more research and comparisons are required before any conclusion can be established concerning ED drugs.
Any signs of erectile dysfunction should alert patients to discuss their problems and health concerns with their doctor's immediately. Embarrassing or not, ED could be warning of very serious health problems or even death.
More health articles...
About 80 percent of men suffering from diabetes already know that erectile dysfunction can be a distressing side effect of the illness. But it's one that may make men take notice, said Dr. John Buse, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association. Researchers in Hong Kong and Italy have found that ED may develop up to three years in advance of any vascular event in some diabetics, and can predict problems that may include chest pain, heart attack, stroke or even death. The results of both studies will appear in the latest issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
In the Hong Kong study, Dr. Peter C.Y. Tong, an associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and colleagues recruited 2,306 men with type 2 diabetes, but that had no history of vascular disease or stroke. After following the patients for an average of four years, those with erectile dysfunction at the start (about one fourth) were 58 percent more likely to have a heart attack or other major cardiac problems than the sexually healthy males.
The second studies lead by, Dr. Carmine Gazzaruso, a specialist at the Beato Matteo Hospital Group in Vigevano, Italy, involved 291 men who had type 2 diabetes as well a history of silent coronary artery disease (showing no symptoms). Of this group, 118 men had ED at the beginning of the study. Over a seven year period, 25 percent of the men suffering from ED developed serious cardiac problems, compared to 11 percent of the 173 men without impotence.
Erectile dysfunction is a good predictor of heart disease or stroke because both conditions have similar features. They both develop when blood flow is slowed or restricted, either by clots, fatty plaque build-up, or damage caused to the vessels by high levels of blood sugar—common in diabetes patients. Because the arteries in the penis are smaller than those in the heart, may be the reason ED often shows up sooner than vascular events, said Dr.Gazzaruso.
The Italian researchers reported that cholesterol-reducing statins lowered the incidence of cardiac events by a third, and Viagra and other drugs for erectile dysfunction also appeared to lower the risk. Although the reduction was not significant enough to rule out that it might be just by chance, much more research and comparisons are required before any conclusion can be established concerning ED drugs.
Any signs of erectile dysfunction should alert patients to discuss their problems and health concerns with their doctor's immediately. Embarrassing or not, ED could be warning of very serious health problems or even death.
More health articles...
By Vickie Richter
From HealthNews.com
From HealthNews.com
