“When a man has high blood pressure or uncontrolled diabetes, it’s easier to identify potential causes of ED, but when a man is younger or seems healthy, I also look beyond the bedroom and start thinking about his blood vessels and heart,” says Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, a urologist and surgeon at Orlando Health and assistant professor at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine.
The relationship between sexual health and heart problems
“Eating large French fries late at night, and other choices you make today, may not cause you to have a heart attack tomorrow, but they may contribute to vascular changes that show up early in the form of erectile dysfunction,” Brahmbhatt explains.
He continues: “That’s why I view erectile dysfunction as a potential sign of more fatal health problems… Here’s why: The American Heart Association notes that impotence can sometimes appear one to three years before classic heart disease symptoms, such as angina or chest pain… The American Urological Association’s guidelines go a step further: Men should be told that erectile dysfunction could be a risk sign for underlying cardiovascular disease and other health conditions that may merit evaluation and treatment.”
The doctor points out that the reason is that most heart problems do not begin in the heart itself, but rather originate often in the smaller blood vessels in the body. Over time, arteries may lose their elasticity, the inner membrane becomes less responsive, and plaques from cholesterol and inflammation can accumulate. Factors such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, smoking, lack of sleep, and stress affect the health of blood vessels.
Early detection of vascular diseases
If blood vessels begin to harden, narrow, or lose their ability to open normally, changes in erection may appear early, sometimes before traditional warning signs of heart disease appear, he explains. That’s why ED is sometimes viewed as an early sign of vascular disease, that is, disease of the blood vessels that carry blood to all parts of the body, including the penis.
He stresses that not every case of ED indicates heart disease, but when ED is recent, persistent, or gradually worsens, especially in those who think they are healthy, “it may be a sign that cardiovascular risks are being taken seriously. This is because the same changes in the blood vessels that affect the heart, can affect the penis as well.”
