Viagra Studies

Erectile Dysfunction-Silent Manifestation of Dormant Cardiovascular Problems

For men who are suffering with a sagging potency, the problem is much more severe than what meets the eye. Combating the problem of erectile dysfunction by merely suppressing it with the anti-impotence drugs will solve the problem only at a superficial level. Hence experts say that men who rush to fix up the problem only by anti-impotence drugs may be overlooking a severe problem which can pose a serious threat to their life at a later stage.

Erectile dysfunction often is a silent manifestation of underlying cardiovascular diseases. Many times erectile dysfunction precedes angina. Erectile dysfunction can just be a warning for the dormant cardiovascular disease. With the advent of the anti-impotence drugs like Viagra the focus of the erectile dysfunction treatment has shifted to these drugs, and a series of studies are suggesting that what was thought as simply some psychological reasons for erectile dysfunction is not just simply that. In fact there are more of physiological reasons responsible for the origin of erectile dysfunction.

Early last year the researchers in the Heart Clinic of Minnesota discovered that the arteries of men with erectile dysfunction expanded less efficiently than men without erectile difficulties -- a possible sign of underlying heart disease. If we understand erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease in simple plumbing terms then it would be easier to understand. If you turn on your cooking gas and there is no flame then either the gas pipe is damaged or is clogged from inside.

Similarly, for men with advanced heart disease the explanation of the cooking gas pipe getting clogged holds true. This is because the arteries get clogged with excess of cholesterol narrowing the arteries and hence decreasing the flow of the blood to the penis causing the erectile dysfunction. But for many men who are suffering with erectile dysfunction, they do not have anything to do with the heart diseases or clogged arteries. For such men the explanation of the gas pipe being damaged holds true. In such men the vessels inside the penis and the smooth muscle around them -- may be broken on a biochemical level and hence they are not able to get the proper erection of their organ inspite of being sexually aroused. Erectile dysfunction is largely due to reduced nitric oxide in the inner lining of the blood vessels. As blood flow demands increase during erection the inner lining of the blood vessels of the penis known as endothelium releases nitric oxide to help trigger blood vessel expansion. Nitric oxide is very important for normal erectile function because it also acts as an anti-atherosclerotic resisting the hardening of the arteries and ensuring a proper smooth flow of blood to the penis so that during sexual stimulation the blood flow can enlarge the organ and hence cause an erection.

Thus, the men for whom the anti-impotence drugs like Viagra do not work, they may be heading towards some serious and complicated coronary disease. Some people who are suffering from heart disease may not be having a sudden chest pain. Instead they may start suffering from erectile dysfunction which can trigger into a serious problem if left unattended.