Men Have Low Awareness of Erectile Dysfunction and Its Effects, Study Shows

A new survey conducted on 1,000 men aged over 40 reveals that just over ten per cent of men in their early 40s are aware that erectile dysfunction strikes regularly in the fourth decade even though evidences suggests that 40% of men aged 40 or over have some form of the condition.

The study, commissioned by Eli Lilly and Company Limited (Lilly UK) as part of a new erectile awareness campaign, also showed that most men are not aware that erections problems could be a warning sign of even serious conditions such as heart diseases and cancer.

This just justified that most men don't worry too much about their health, especially their sexual health, unless they can already see symptoms of long-term medical conditions.

Further, the survey shows that less than one fifth of men have visited their GP in the last 12 months, and that men in their 40s are likely to put off visits to their GP until they consider their symptoms to be long-term or worsening. But these men can be optimistic about finding a solution; 95% of ED cases can now be treated by the health care professional once reported.

The survey was commissioned as part of the new ED disease awareness campaign 40over40, from Lilly UK, which has been designed to educate men on the causes of ED and who it affects, and encourage them to seek help.

Adult Stem Cell Therapy For Erectile Dysfunction

A new experiment on stem cell research shows great promise for the technology on stem cell as a cure for erectile dysfunction on older men. According to a study being conducted by several researchers from the American Urological Association, headed by Dr. Tom Lue, it is possible for a autologous adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) to be used to regenerate erectile function.

In adipose tissue there are stem cells as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and Western blotting experiments. The adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) reside near small blood vessels. CD34 staining identifies 60% of peri-vascular areas as harboring ADSCs. It occurs in new blood vessels, and is a sign of regeneration. ADSCs can be harvested by liposuction or fat excision. Adipose cells are digested and ADSCs are cultured for further induction, labeling or gene transfection. ADSCs can also be used for in vivo tissue engineering. In vitro induction can result in hepatocytes, beta cells to produce insulin or endothelial cells. In vivo, ADSCs placed in muscle can differentiate into skeletal muscle, placed near blood vessels become smooth muscle and in fat can become fat cells. The differentiate into component cell types and integrate into the tissue. Four weeks after injection of ADSCs following cavernous nerve crush injury in a rat model, there is return of function.

A study showed injection of umbilical cord blood stem cells into men having failed PDE5 inhibitors resulted in improved erectile function. This is only a pilot experiment, but shows great promise.

These results were presented by Dr. Lue at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association held at Orlando, Florida las May 2008.

Stomach Surgery May Save Sex Life of Obese Men

According to a research recently presented at the 103rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association, losing weight may actually help resolve erectile dysfunction in obese men. This after finding out that morbid obesity can cause sexual dysfunction independent of other common confounders such as diabetes, hypertension and smoking.

In this study, several obese men who underwent gastric bypass surgery for them to lose weight found out that their sexual function was normalized after the operation.

"This study shows that weight loss and other risk factors which are alleviated by weight loss may be keys to restoring sexual function," said Anthony Y. Smith, M.D. "These results give men another reason to improve their health by losing weight."

For this study, 95 patients who are about to undergo gastric bypass surgery for weight loss were asked to complete the Brief Sexual Inventory (BSI) pre- and post-operatively. On average, BSI scores improved in all categories, including sexual drive, erectile function, ejaculatory function, problem assessment and sexual satisfaction. The amount of weight lost predicted the degree of improvement in all areas of the survey.

Gastric bypass surgery, a procedure that reduces the body's caloric intake, can be used to induce significant weight loss in the obese. Calorie reduction is accomplished by making the stomach smaller and bypassing part of the stomach and small intestines so that fewer calories are absorbed. The patient feels full faster and learns to reduce the amount of food that he/she eats.

Work-related Stress Can Trigger Erectile Dysfunction

A new study has shown that one in every ten men experience erectile dysfunction as a result of work-related stress. The same study also revealed that one in five men suffer a loss of sexual libido. This suggests that 90% of men have shown at least one clinical feature of stress due to work but only 54% know that stress from work may be the cause of their sexual condition.

Stress, either from work or at home, is known as one of the common cause of ED because it is associated with low testosterone levels.

Unfortunately, only 44% of men with this condition won't go to their doctors for consultation. The majority of those who do consult professional help in dealing with this problem only do so after 17 months of their first symptom.

One of the researchers who conducted the study said that work-place stress clearly has a strong impact on the incidence of erectile dysfunction in men. Men should think about the underlying cause of their ED, including how to combat their stress levels; not staying too late at work, a balanced and healthy diet, and regular exercise.

Erectile Dysfunction May Just Be The Beginning

According to a recent study conducted, sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction on men ma also signal other health problems such as heart disease. In fact, ED can prodict cardiovascular troubles that include chest pain, heart attack and stroke, which may ultimately lead to death of men, according to two studies published in the Journal od the American College of Cardiology.

This news came after discovering that ED is a side effect of diabetes, adding insult to injury of about 80 per cent of men suffering the disease.

That is why professionals like Dr. Peter C.Y. Tong of the Prince Wales Hospital at the Chinese University of Hong Kong warn men with type 3 diabetes not to ingnore the warning and have themselves checked even if it's embarrassing. "You must take action now to improve upone these modifiable risk factors," Dr. Tong said in a email.

Men who have difficulty achieving or maintaining erections should tell their doctors without delay so they can be evaluated for further cardiac risk. Interventions might include changes in diet, exercise or medication, experts said.

Of 118 men with erectile dysfunction, 30, or 25 percent, reported a serious cardiac problem over seven years. That compared to 19 of 173 men without impotence, or about 11 percent. Erectile dysfunction is a good predictor of heart disease or stroke because both conditions occur when certain arteries fail to expand fully in response to stimulus. Because the arteries in the penis are smaller than those in the heart, for instance, the condition might show up sooner.

Women's Perspective: Erectile Dysfunction

You've heard about it many times already. But here is another look at one of the most dreaded disease among the male population, erectile dysfunction. And remember, you are not the only one who will suffer if you don't do anything about your problem. Because your partner will suffer too you know.

Watch this short video and find out how ED affects women too.




Cure Impotence

Study Shows More Men Are Using Viagra Without Prescription

A survey presented at San Francisco during the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Society revealed that more and more men are using Viagra and other male-enhancement drugs to cure their sexual disorders without any proper prescription. The initial findings of the study showed that 6 per cent of the respondents reported using ED drugs without consulting a professional medical practitioner. Most of them admitted of getting their drugs from friends, peers and other non-medical sources, including the Internet.

The study involved 234 men aged 18-25 years old and are all, at some point in their lives, had experienced erection problems. Thirteen per cent of the respondents admitted of having difficulty getting and maintaining an erection, while 25 per cent reported that they have lost their erection while putting a condom.

This study just seemed to further manifest the fact that most men are scared or embarrassed in having a condition as such. Many studies have been done and stated that erectile dysfunction is one of the most common disorder among men, and it is also one of the least likely to be treated because of its very personal nature. Most men don't even want to talk to their loved ones, much less to doctors about their problems. This, in turn, have boosted the male-enhancement pill industry over the Internet because drugs are readily available without any contact whatsoever.

But the most shocking part of the study is the fact that men are still very ignorant when it comes to this problem. The study revealed that 29 per cent of the men who admitted to have been using ED drugs really don't have any problems at all, and they said that they are only using these products to "enhance their sexual performance." Nearly two-thirds of those who used ED drugs also reported mixing the drugs with other drugs such as alcohol, marijuana, GHB, methamphetamine and cocaine. The report stated that because of this misinformation that they will have better sexual performance, these malpractice just "permits men in altered states to have risky sex, potentially contributing to unwanted pregnancies and spread of sexually-transmitted diseases."


That is why the researchers advises health care workers to start the conversation about erectile dysfunction and give people better understanding about this disorder and all the possible treatment for it.