ED May Predict Heart Disease in Diabetic Men
ED May Predict Heart Disease in Diabetic Men
Study Shows Erectile Dysfunction Bigger Predictor Than Blood Pressure, Cholesterol Levels
June 21, 2004 -- Erection problems may soon join high cholesterol, hypertension, and other well-documented risks as a way to predict likely heart disease in a group of people especially vulnerable to it -- men with type 2 diabetes.
In a new study, Italian researchers say that erectile dysfunction proved to be a stronger prediction of "silent" heart disease than more traditional heart disease risk factors such as high LDL (or "bad") cholesterol, low HDL (or "good") cholesterol, high blood pressure, or smoking.
The study looked at 260 diabetic men -- most were in their late 50s and had type 2 diabetes for about seven years with no known complications.
The researchers showed that men with type 2 diabetes and "silent" heart disease were nine times more likely to have erectile dysfunction.
"If our findings are confirmed, erectile dysfunction may become a potential marker to identify diabetic patients to screen for silent cardiovascular disease," says study researcher Carmine Gazzaruso, MD, of Maugeri Foundation Hospital in Pavia, Italy.
But cardiologist Ira S. Nash, MD, a spokesman for the American Heart Association, tells WebMD that this finding probably won't mean very much in treating diabetic patients.
"I don't think this is so earth-shattering," says Nash, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. " I have no reason to doubt that's accurate. But the question really is, if you know everything else about a patient, what's the marginal value in also knowing whether a patient has erectile dysfunction or not?"
Previous studies have shown that erectile dysfunction (ED) occurs in men with either diabetes or heart disease -- diseases in which blood vessels are damaged. Erectile dysfunction afflicts men with diabetes three times more often, and typically a decade earlier, than men without diabetes.
According to Alan J. Garber, MD, PhD, a hormone specialist of Baylor College of Medicine, one of every two men with type 2 diabetes will eventually develop erectile dysfunction. Of course, diabetes also increases risk of heart disease, often by damaging blood vessels and impeding blood flow, which are necessary for erections.
ED May Predict Heart Disease in Diabetic Men
Study Shows Erectile Dysfunction Bigger Predictor Than Blood Pressure, Cholesterol Levels
June 21, 2004 -- Erection problems may soon join high cholesterol, hypertension, and other well-documented risks as a way to predict likely heart disease in a group of people especially vulnerable to it -- men with type 2 diabetes.
In a new study, Italian researchers say that erectile dysfunction proved to be a stronger prediction of "silent" heart disease than more traditional heart disease risk factors such as high LDL (or "bad") cholesterol, low HDL (or "good") cholesterol, high blood pressure, or smoking.
The study looked at 260 diabetic men -- most were in their late 50s and had type 2 diabetes for about seven years with no known complications.
The researchers showed that men with type 2 diabetes and "silent" heart disease were nine times more likely to have erectile dysfunction.
"If our findings are confirmed, erectile dysfunction may become a potential marker to identify diabetic patients to screen for silent cardiovascular disease," says study researcher Carmine Gazzaruso, MD, of Maugeri Foundation Hospital in Pavia, Italy.
But cardiologist Ira S. Nash, MD, a spokesman for the American Heart Association, tells WebMD that this finding probably won't mean very much in treating diabetic patients.
"I don't think this is so earth-shattering," says Nash, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. " I have no reason to doubt that's accurate. But the question really is, if you know everything else about a patient, what's the marginal value in also knowing whether a patient has erectile dysfunction or not?"
A Three-Way Connection
Previous studies have shown that erectile dysfunction (ED) occurs in men with either diabetes or heart disease -- diseases in which blood vessels are damaged. Erectile dysfunction afflicts men with diabetes three times more often, and typically a decade earlier, than men without diabetes.
According to Alan J. Garber, MD, PhD, a hormone specialist of Baylor College of Medicine, one of every two men with type 2 diabetes will eventually develop erectile dysfunction. Of course, diabetes also increases risk of heart disease, often by damaging blood vessels and impeding blood flow, which are necessary for erections.
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