The research is based on a Swedish national database of health records that includes all hospitals in Sweden. Researchers analyzed the records of men age 80 years or younger who were hospitalized for a first heart attack between 2007 and 2013. Tracking the men for an average of 3.3 years following this first heart attack, they compared outcomes among those who subsequently filled a prescription for a PDE5 inhibitor or alprostadil to those who did not. Overall just over 7 percent of men were prescribed an erectile dysfunction drug, 92 percent of whom were prescribed a PDE5 inhibitor and 8 percent of whom were prescribed alprostadil.
ED is a common complication of diabetes that affects patients' quality of life. While the etiology of this complication may be multifactorial in nature, it is clear that it usually has a strong organic component. Because men with diabetes value their erectile function highly, it is important that providers encourage them to maintain good glycemic, blood pressure, and lipid control to minimize their risk of developing this complication.
Logically, ED secondary to testosterone deficiency should be treated by testosterone replacement. Testosterone levels in men decrease with age.4 Both epidemiological and observational studies have demonstrated that reduced testosterone is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. One meta-analysis showed lower testosterone and higher 17β oestradiol as significant risk predictors despite adjustment for age and body mass index.4 Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) have been found to have lower testosterone levels than controls, and there is inverse correlation between testosterone and the incidence of major cardiovascular disease (CVD).4 A significant negative correlation has been reported between total testosterone levels and Framingham risk score.4 However, it has been pointed out that ‘It is unclear if this is a causal association or due to low testosterone being a biomarker of poor health’.4 Testosterone replacement as a treatment for …
The pilot study by Vardi et al. (18) showed that LIESWT was effective in treating men with ED, suggesting a physiologic impact of LIESWT on cavernosal hemodynamics. The LIESWT is an effective penile rehabilitation tool that improves erectile function and potentially reverses underlying ED. Recent meta-analysis (19) of 14 studies showed that LiESWT could significantly improve the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) [mean difference: 2.00; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.99–3.00; P<0.0001] and Erection Hardness Score (EHS) (risk difference: 0.16; 95% CI, 0.04–0.29; P=0.01). In addition, the therapeutic efficacy was noted to last for at least 3 months. LiESWT has been cited to a potential cure for ED, unlike other well established non-surgical methods of treatment (i.e., PDE5i, ICI and VED) being on demand treatments.
The most important way to protect your heart is to eat a Nutritarian diet and that means eating your G-BOMBS: greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds. Natural plant foods have numerous cardio-protective effects. For example, greens activate the Nrf2 system, which turns on natural detoxification mechanisms and protects blood vessels against inflammatory processes that lead to atherosclerotic plaque buildup.9
Currently, the preferred treatment for erectile dysfunction includes sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra) and tadalafil (Cialis). However, numerous experts have raised concerns about the use of these drugs in patients with chronic heart failure who also take nitrates (or other medications that relax and widen blood vessels). This drug combination has been shown to be dangerous, because it can increase the risk for a life-threatening drop in blood pressure.
Another oral treatment that has been used with very little success is yohimbine (Yocon, Yohimex). This is an alpha 2 adrenergic receptor blocker that increases cholinergic and decreases adrenergic tone. It stimulates the mid-brain and increases libido. Optimal results occur when used in men with psychogenic ED. Side effects include anxiety and insomnia.
Surgery for erectile dysfunction is usually considered only after all other options have failed. The two surgical options include the insertion of a semi-rigid rod or the implantation of a three-piece inflatable prosthesis. Penile prosthesis implantation has low infection, complication, and malfunction rates. However, since placement of an implant requires permanent injury to the erectile tissue of the penis, implant treatment is considered irreversible.
Gene therapy has the potential to become a future management option for patients with CAD and ED. Animal studies have been conducted to evaluate the effects of gene therapy. A rat model was studied by Bivalacqua et al. to evaluate the effect of the combination of eNOS gene therapy and sildenafil. This research suggested that erectile response was greater in male rats with diabetes treated with combination eNOS gene therapy and sildenafil, compared with male rats with diabetes treated with eNOS gene therapy or sildenafil alone.76–78
A thorough history (including cardiovascular symptoms, age, presence of risk factors and comorbid conditions such as obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, pre-diabetes, CAD, peripheral artery disease, symptoms suggestive of sleep apnoea, family history of premature atherothrombotic CVD and lifestyle factors), assessment of ED severity (according to SHIM) and duration, and physical examination (for both heart and peripheral circulation pathology) are mandatory first-line elements of investigation. A resting electrocardiogram, measurement of fasting plasma glucose, and estimation of glomerular filtration rate are desirable tests that may be used to further characterize cardiovascular status and risk and to identify men who require additional cardiologic workup. Owing to the accumulating evidence supporting the link with CVD, the measurement of testosterone is recommended in all men with a diagnosis of organic ED, especially in those for whom phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor therapy failed.
Three FDA-approved oral medications, sildenafil, tadalafil, and vardenafil are available. These drugs are phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE-5) inhibitors that can prolong levels of cGMP in tissue allowing improved smooth muscle relaxation, thus facilitating an erection. PDE-5 inhibitor drugs are effective in 56-63% of diabetic men with ED. More stringent glycemic control can improve these results. Men with testosterone deficiency may benefit from a combination of oral ED medication and testosterone supplementation.
The 12-week study of 164 men, all with hypertension, was divided into 2 groups of 82, one group with sexual dysfunction, the other group reported normal sexual functioning. Both groups took losartan in dosages of 50 to 100 milligrams daily for the 12 weeks of the study. In the group of men with sexual dysfunction, 88 percent reported improvement in at least one area of sexual function and 73.7% reported an improved quality of life.
In some cases, however, these drugs may be unsuitable for patients with heart disease. If you are considering one of these drugs and you have heart disease, as many diabetics do, be sure to tell your doctor. In rare cases, the pills may create “priapism,” a prolonged and painful erection lasting six hours or more (although reversible with prompt medical attention).
Low testosterone represents another link between erectile dysfunction and heart disease. A man’s testosterone levels gradually diminish beginning at age 30. By the time he reaches his 70s, testosterone levels may have dropped to a tenth of youthful levels. Diminishing testosterone levels contribute to loss of muscle, increased body fat, and reduced libido. Fatigue is common, as is depression. Low testosterone levels can also result in reduced concentration, irritability, passivity, loss of interest in activities, and even hypochondria.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is common in cardiac patients and shares the same risk factors--smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and diabetes mellitus. Sexual activity is not unduly stressful to the heart and, providing patients are properly assessed using established guidelines, sexual intercourse can be enjoyed without increased risk. The treatment of ED in patients with cardiovascular disease has been transformed by the introduction of the oral phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, the first of which was sildenafil. Success in restoring erectile function is possible in up to 80% of patients (depending on the aetiology) with minimal adverse effects. A synergistic hypotensive effect with nitrates, and almost certainly nicorandil, is the only major contraindication. ED in asymptomatic patients may be a marker of silent vascular disease or increased vascular risk factors and should alert the physician to the need for cardiac risk screening. ED is common in patients with cardiovascular disease and should be routinely enquired about. ED is a distressing condition for the man and his partner, and severely impairs quality of life. Patients with cardiovascular disease and patients with diabetes represent the largest group of patients with ED, the majority of whom benefit from the drug therapies currently available. Addressing ED in patients with cardiovascular disease can lead to a substantial improvement in quality of life and success is not difficult to achieve.
Beta-blockers: A popular blood pressure medication that affects part of the nervous system in an attempt to slow and regulate heartbeats, helping reduce blood pressure. Unfortunately, this same part of the nervous system is also responsible for causing erections, and when beta blockers are used, it indirectly reduces the amount of blood flow to the penis.
No matter what the cause of erectile dysfunction, it is likely to cause feelings of stress and other emotional reactions. It’s also not uncommon for erection problems to cause tension in a relationship, particularly if one or both partners withdraws emotionally and the problem is not talked about. And it’s possible for a man’s renewed ability to have intercourse after a period of no sexual activity to stir up relationship issues.