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IF YOU are a man experiencing problems in the bedroom, it could be a sign of heart disease.
So said a new study released on Saturday.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a good indicator of impending heart disease, says University of Malaya Medical Centre’s (UMMC) Dr Ramesh Singh Veeriah, who presented his paper at the World Congress of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in Beijing, China.
One reason why ED would occur before heart disease is because the arteries in the penis are smaller.
“ED should precede coronary artery disease (CAD) since the penile arteries are considerably smaller than the coronary arteries,” Dr Ramesh said.
Seven out of 10 men admitted to the centre’s hospital for a heart attack had ED, according to Dr Ramesh.
These study findings indicate that patients with evidence of ED are at risk of developing heart disease in the future.
He added: “ED and CAD share many common risk factors and are closely related.”
Atherosclerosis, a generalised inflammatory disorder of the body’s blood vessels, is the root cause of both diseases.
Dr Ramesh conducted the year-long study last year.
He looked at 111 sexually active men at the centre who were admitted for heart attacks.
The study’s findings indicated that 75.7 per cent of the men had experienced ED in the six months prior to their admission.
The study also found that all patients with a prior history of both heart disease and ED experienced recurrent heart attacks, reported Malaysiakini.
“Therefore, we should screen and treat such patients aggressively,” said Dr Ramesh.
“Men who are not sexually active should also be closely assessed, as a quarter of them have complete ED, which warrants treatment. This may also be a harbinger for CAD,” he added.
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