Impotence may signal heart trouble in men
Men who develop erectile dysfunction should get checked for
cardiovascular disease, researchers recommend
Men who have problems getting erections should have their heart
health assessed, according to researchers who found a strong
association between impotence and subsequent development of
heart disease. This link has been suggested in other studies,
but Dr. Ian Thompson and his colleagues at the University of
Texas Health Science Centre in San Antonio claim theirs is the
first to follow a group of healthy men without initial heart
problems.
In a recent report on the study, they say the heart disease risk
associated with erectile dysfunction is similar to that linked
with a smoking habit or a family history of heart trouble.
The study involved more than 8,000 men age 55 years or older who
were evaluated for heart disease and impotence every three
months between 1994 and 2003 at 221 U.S. centres posted on
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Among the 4,247 men without erectile dysfunction at the
beginning of the study, 57 per cent reported developing it after
five years. After taking other risk factors such as obesity and
high cholesterol into account, the researchers calculated that
men who developed erectile dysfunction during the study were
1.25 times more likely than men without erectile dysfunction to
suffer cardiovascular problems such as angina, heart attack,
stroke, heart failure or abnormal heartbeat states
http://www.mensgenerics.com .
When the researchers included men who already had erectile
dysfunction at the beginning of the study, the relationship with
subsequent heart disease was stronger, with a 1.45 times
increased risk.