Erectile Dysfunction may predict cardiac events

Erectile dysfunction (ED) was once thought of as a primarily psychological problem, but we now know there are a multitude of diseases that can cause the problem.

There are a substantial number of men, especially those over 40 who have vascular disease as the etiology of their problem.

If vascular disease is the cause, the risk factors for ED are similar and include smoking, hypertension, cholesterol problems, and diabetes. Obesity and lack of physical activity (decondtioning) also play a role.

In a recent study, ED is now being shown as a reliable indicator of heart disease.

In recent issues of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, there were 2 complementary articles that demonstrated the potential link between ED and subsequent cardiovascular events.

This can be of benefit in the primary care setting as ED can now be used in conjunction with other indicators and can be a predictor of cardiovascular events in diabetic patients and others.

Treatment with statins and other meds might reduce the occurrence and should be used more readily to reduce the risk of future problems.

One take home message for physicians is that in men with type 2 diabetes without clinically overt cardiovascular disease, the presence of ED helps predict a new onset of CHD events.