This serious disease can first show symptoms in the penis – 2024-02-16 17:51:59

An erection is a good indicator of health, say urology specialists. Adobe stock/AOP

Erectile problems are often the first sign of coronary artery disease. Typically, erectile dysfunction appears 3–4 years before coronary artery disease, says the Diabetes and doctor magazine.

Erectile dysfunction refers to the repeated or permanent inability to obtain or maintain an adequate erection.

The first symptom is usually premature cessation of erection.

Docent of urology, senior physician Antti Kaipia (TAYS) and a doctor specializing in urology Misael Ponkkonen (TAYS) point out that erectile dysfunction often develops latently. Many patients only become aware of the issue when an erection fails completely.

– Telling about it requires courage from the patient, and therefore the attending physician should inquire about erectile problems sensitively, they write.

According to Kaipia and Ponkkonen, erection can be considered a measure of good mental and physical well-being. An erection indicates, among other things, the health of the blood vessels and the nervous system.

The prevalence of erectile dysfunction increases with age: about 40 percent of men in their 40s and about 70 percent of men in their 70s suffer from them.

In addition to age, the most important risk factors for erectile dysfunction are diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome, inactivity, smoking and pelvic surgery.

People with diabetes have a higher risk of erectile dysfunction than the rest of the population, and erectile dysfunction is on average more severe.

There are treatments

Urologists encourage you to speak up about erectile dysfunction, because there are effective treatments for erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction caused by physical causes cannot be cured.

– The symptoms of erectile dysfunction can be effectively treated with medication, but the doctor should keep in mind the vascular causes that often lie behind the disorder. The patient’s risk factors for cardiovascular diseases should be comprehensively mapped.

The authors point out that among hypertensive patients adherence to blood pressure medication has been studied to be poor, and in men one significant reason may be the sexual side effects of some blood pressure medications. The most recommended blood pressure medication for an erectile patient is an angiotensin receptor blocker, or ATR blocker.

In erectile dysfunction, the basis of treatment is always lifestyle changes. They improve erection and reduce the risk of cardiovascular events.

According to research, exercise, good blood sugar balance, weight loss and the Mediterranean diet improve erection.

Quitting smoking also improves the situation significantly.

If there are vascular causes behind the erectile dysfunction, the fat balance in the blood should also be treated.

Correction February 15, 2024 at 4:39 p.m.: In the title of the article, it was previously erroneously stated that coronary artery disease first manifests itself in the penis. In reality, this may be the case, but not in all cases. Title formatting changed.