|
Erectile
Dysfunction May Predict Heart Attacks
25 Oct 25, 2008
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."
Where To
Buy Sex Pills |