An expert has written an article on bmj.com
that suggests a link between heart attacks and erectile
dysfunction. Dr Geoffrey Hackett (Good Hope Hospital,
Birmingham, UK) says that erectile dysfunction gives a two to three
year early warning of a heart attack, but doctors are largely ignoring
the relationship.
Hackett writes that he noticed a pattern occurring over several years
of practice - patients were referred to him with erectile dysfunction
after a heart attack, but Hackett found out that the erectile
dysfunction developed two to three years before the heart attack. This
warning sign has been ignored by general practitioners.
Erectile dysfunction is a symptom of vascular disease in the smaller
arteries, and previous research has linked the condition to a doubling
of the risk of heart disease. In other words, people with erectile
dysfunction have a similar risk of heart disease as moderate smokers or
those with an immediate family history of heart disease. Similarly, in
patients with type 2 diabetes, erectile dysfunction has proved to
better predict the risk of heart disease than high blood pressure or
high cholesterol.
Hackett says that the difficulty lies in the prevailing attitude
towards erectile dysfunction as a recreational or "lifestyle issue"
instead of a serious health problem, even though considerable evidence
exists to support the latter.
Although the UK government has indicated that it is committed to
reducing the death rate from coronary heart disease and stroke in
people under 75 by 40% by 2010, it still has not implemented systematic
erectile dysfunction screening in patients with diabetes or heart
disease.
Hackett concludes that, "Continuing to ignore these issues on the basis
that cardiologists feel uncomfortable mentioning the word ‘erection’ to
their patients or that they may have to deal with the management of a
positive response, is no longer acceptable and possibly, based on
current evidence, clinically negligent."
Erectile dysfunction predicts cardiovascular
risk in men
Geoffrey
I Hackett
Buy generic ultram BMJ (2008). 337:a2166
doi:10.1136/bmj.a2166
Click
Here to View Journal Website
Written by: Peter M Crosta
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today
Buy generic lasix | Buy generic propecia | Buy cipro pills
January 24th 2009 Uncategorized
