The world's largest study that investigated the link between erectile dysfunction (ED) and heart disease found an increased risk of death from undetected heart disease in men suffering any degree of erectile dysfunction. The research was reported in an article published on Jan. 29, 2013, in the open access peer reviewed journal Public Library of Science.
The study indicates that the risks of future heart disease and premature death increased steadily with the severity of erectile dysfunction, both in men with and without a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
The researchers, from the Sax Institute, the Australian National University, the University of Sydney, the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, and the George Institute for Global Health, based their findings on hospital and death records for 95,000 men from the Sax Institute's 45 and Up Study.
One in five men aged 40 and over report moderate or severe erectile dysfunction.
The authors found that, among men without known cardiovascular disease, those with severe versus no ED had a relative 35% increase in risk of hospitalization for all CVDs, and a relative 93% increased risk of all-cause mortality. Among men with known CVD at baseline and severe ED, their increased risk of hospitalization for all CVDs combined was a relative 64% and for all-cause mortality, 137%.
The solution is to have heart health check if you suffer any degree of ED.
The research was reviewed at the Eureka Alert website the date of publication here and here.
Authors
Emily Banks 1,2*, Grace Joshy 1, Walter P. Abhayaratna 3, Leonard Kritharides 4, Peter S. Macdonald 5, Rosemary J. Korda 1, John P. Chalmers 6
1 National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 2 The Sax Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 3 College of Medicine, Biology and the Environment, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 4 Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 5 Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 6 The George Institute for Global Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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