воскресенье, 5 декабря 2010 г.

Link established between erectile dysfunction and calcified coronary arteries

In the largest study to date evaluating erectile dysfunction (ED) and coronary artery calcification, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have determined that men with ED are at a significantly increased risk of high coronary artery calcification scores (CACS), a known predictor of future cardiovascular events. The research was presented this week at the American Urological Association (AUA) meeting in San Francisco. The study, titled "Erectile Dysfunction is an Independent Risk Factor for the Presence of High Risk Coronary Artery Calcification," evaluated 1,119 men enrolled in the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program, 327 of which had ED. The researchers learned that after adjusting for comorbidities men with ED had a 54 percent greater likelihood of having a high-risk CACS than men without ED. The increased risk was similar to that of patients with a history of hypertension and smoking.
"Our data further solidify the concept that ED is a harbinger-indicator of current and future cardiovascular disease," said Natan Bar-Chama, MD, Director of Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery and associate professor of urology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "These data show an indisputable connection between ED and atherosclerosis."
The mean age of the men in the study was 50.5 years. All patients were evaluated with a cardiac CT scan to determine CACS. Erectile dysfunction was assessed using a validated questionnaire and defined as a Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) score of less than 22. After adjusting for risk factors like diabetes, smoking, and body-mass index, Dr. Bar-Chama's team determined that ED was independently associated with a 54 percent increased risk of CACS.
"The finding certainly raises the question as to what diagnostic tests we should perform in the newly diagnosed ED patient in order to assess cardiovascular risk," he added. "For example, should we be recommending that CACS scores be obtained in all these patients? Also, should we routinely be measuring serum inflammatory markers, conducting assessment of endothelial function or cardiac stress testing? Guidelines are urgently needed to stratify cardiovascular risk in the newly diagnosed ED patient in light of the significant and clear association between ED and cardiovascular disease."

среда, 1 декабря 2010 г.

Erectile Dysfunction Lower in Men Who Have Intercourse Frequently

Having intercourse more often may help prevent the development of erectile dysfunction (ED). A study published in the July 2008 issue of The American Journal of Medicine reports that researchers have found that men who had intercourse more often were less likely to develop erectile dysfunction.
Analyzing a five-year study of 989 men aged 55 to 75 years from Pirkanmaa, Finland, the investigators observed that men reporting intercourse less than once per week at baseline had twice the incidence of erectile dysfunction compared with those reporting intercourse once per week. Further, the risk of erectile dysfunction was inversely related to the frequency of intercourse.
Other factors that may affect the incidence of erectile dysfunction, such as age, chronic medical conditions (diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease and depression), body mass index and smoking were included in the analysis of the data.
Erectile dysfunction incidence was 79 cases per 1000 in men who had reported sexual intercourse less than once per week, dropping to 32 cases per 1000 in men reporting intercourse once per week and falling further to 16 per 1000 in those reporting intercourse 3 or more times per week.
In addition, the frequency of morning erections predicted the development of complete erectile dysfunction, with an approximate 2.5-fold risk among those with less than 1 morning erection per week compared with 2 to 3 morning erections per week
Writing in the article, Juha Koskimäki, MD, PhD, Tampere University Hospital, Department of Urology, Tampere, Finland, states; “Regular intercourse has an important role in preserving erectile function among elderly men, whereas morning erection does not exert a similar effect. Continued sexual activity decreases the incidence of erectile dysfunction in direct proportion to coital frequency.”
The study clearly indicates that regular intercourse protects men from the development of erectile dysfunction, which may, in turn, impact general health and quality of life. The investigators advise clinicians to support the sexual activity of their patients.
The article is “Regular Intercourse Protects Against Erectile Dysfunction: Tampere Aging Male Urologic Study” by Juha Koskimäki, MD, PhD, Rahman Shiri, MD, PhD, Teuvo Tammela, MD, PhD, Jukka Häkkinen, MD, PhD, Matti Hakama, ScD, and Anssi Auvinen, MD, PhD. It appears in The American Journal of Medicine, Volume 121, Issue 7 (July 2008) published by Elsevier.