If you’re having trouble maintaining an erection, print this post out and make an appointment with your healthcare provider. Researcher in Australia found that men who self-reported severe erectile dysfunction had a 35% increase in the risk of hospitalization
for all heart-related diseases, and a 93% increased risk of death—even if they had no history of no history of heart disease. If they did have a history of cardiovascular problems, the risk of hospitalization went up by 60% and risk of death by a whopping 137%.
As with so many medical issues, it’s important to separate correlation from causation. In other words, it’s pretty unlikely that ED causes heart disease. However, whatever is blocking the arteries of your heart—cholesterol, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc—is likely also blocking the arteries to your penis. And poor penile blood flow leads directly to ED.
“If you have erectile dysfunction you really need to take action and go to your doctor and ask for a heart check, if you haven’t been assessed before,” said the study’s lead researcher, Emily Banks, in an interview with Australian media. The study, published in PLOS Medicine.
