Would it surprise you to learn that between 30 million and 50 million men in the United States are dealing with erectile dysfunction (ED)? Whether that comes as a surprise or not, this next fact might: The biggest driver of ED is poor blood flow due to atherosclerosis, an issue that is often a precursor to much more serious heart disease.
Given that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, it’s important to look out for early signs of a problem, and ED is a strong one.
Since June is National Men’s Health Month in the US, the team at World Medical Group dba Neuropathy & Pain Centers of Texas wants to share some important information about ED and your cardiovascular health. As men’s health issues go, this is one connection that every man should be aware of, as it provides an opportunity for potentially life-saving prevention steps.
Despite how quickly they can (or used to) develop, there’s a lot that goes into an erection, with many different areas of your health enlisted in the effort, including your:
The role that your cardiovascular system plays is critical, as it’s what gives you the physical erection. When you’re aroused, your brain sends signals to relax the muscles and increase blood flow to your penis. As the blood flows in, the spongy tissues become engorged, and your penis hardens. At this point, muscles tighten at the base of your penis to trap the blood and maintain an erection.
As you can see, without good blood flow to your penis, erections can prove to be far more difficult to achieve.
If your ED is due to insufficient blood flow to your penis (and this applies to a majority of cases), this is typically an early sign of atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which your arteries start to narrow, thanks to a buildup of plaque (deposits of fat and cholesterol) inside the blood vessels. This can lead to one of the more common forms of heart disease, coronary artery disease (CAD).
As your arteries begin to narrow, the effect is often felt first in certain areas and, you guessed it, erectile function is one of them. In fact, ED develops before CAD is detected in almost 70% of cases.
So, while your ED might not be all that welcome, if it’s alerting you to a bigger problem, it can be doing you a favor.
If you have ED, we strongly urge you to come see us for an evaluation so that we can get to the bottom of your sexual dysfunction.
If we find that it’s related to poor blood flow, we can take steps to improve your cardiovascular health — throughout your body and, more locally, in your penis to encourage better erections.
On a body-wide level, we can discuss lifestyle changes, like eating better and exercising more, to prevent the progression of your atherosclerosis. We can also discuss medications that will help improve blood flow and prevent clots.
On a more local level, we’ve had great success improving circulation in your penis with extracorporeal shockwave therapy. With this therapy, we deliver sound waves into the blood vessels in your penis to break apart plaques to allow more blood to flow in.
The bottom line is that if you’re struggling with ED, we want you to see us for an evaluation so that we can get you on a healthier track, both sexually and generally.
To schedule that evaluation, please call or message one of our offices in Arlington or Fort Worth, Texas, today to schedule an appointment.
