The main causes of impotence identified in the USA

Approximately 18 million Americans suffer from some degree of erectile dysfunction. Statistics speaks volumes about the scale of the problem. What are the causes of impotence in men?

The degree of erectile function in men aged 20 years and older

Age of impotence

Practically every member of the stronger sex at least once in his life thought about how to avoid such a fate himself.

We, while we ourselves are not disturbed by sexual weakness, usually associate it with the advanced age of a man. And while the frequency of impotence does increase with age, quite a few young people under 40 also suffer from this common form of sexual dysfunction. Age is just one of the factors that appear on the medical record of a typical patient with erectile dysfunction.

In a large study published in the American Journal of Medicine, a team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health recommends that attention be paid to the problem of impotence in the United States. The scientists analyzed survey data from more than 2,100 adult men.

An analysis of health data has led researchers to conclude that erectile dysfunction affects an estimated 18 million American men aged 20 and over. The degree of potency among them varied significantly.

While 65 percent of respondents stated that they are always or almost always able to get and maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, another 16.5% said that they usually find it difficult to achieve an erection. The remaining 18.5 percent reported that they were rarely or never able to do the same. This means that they all suffer from some degree of erectile dysfunction.

The main causes of impotence in men

What causes impotence in men, what reasons contribute to this? There is no simple answer to this question. Although scientists estimate that 80 percent of all cases of sexual dysfunction are due to insufficient blood flow to the penis, vascular problems contributing to this can occur for a variety of reasons. vessels, which over time makes it impossible to obtain and maintain an erection for sexual intercourse. There are three most common conditions that contribute to ED. These are atherosclerosis, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

Given that for every 10 patients with ED, there are approximately eight with circulatory disorders, the causes of the remaining 20 percent of dysfunction are either psychological in origin, or due to congenital or traumatic damage to the male genital organ. For the latter, surgical treatment is usually the only solution, and psychogenic disorders are most often treated by a psychotherapist.

Viagra or one of the other oral potency medications is unlikely to be of much help in these forms of impotence.

The Importance of a Healthy Lifestyle

In addition to the tiny percentage of men born with congenital circulatory disorders, the bulk of vascular damage occurs during life, the pattern of which determines whether a man will face an increased risk of sexual dysfunction as he grows up.

An unhealthy diet, excess weight, lack of exercise, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can all lead to diseases that impair the blood supply to organs, including the penis. Thus, replacing some of these bad habits with healthy alternatives can jump-start the body's efforts to repair the damage it has done. Even men who already suffer from early stages of diabetes or high blood pressure can minimize vascular damage by carefully managing their disorders under medical supervision.

Relationship between impotence and cardiovascular diseases

The Johns Hopkins Research Group took a close look at the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease among men with and without impotence. As expected, it was recorded that risk factors are almost always higher in patients with erectile dysfunction than in those who were not impotent.

While the median age of men with ED was 63.4 years, the median age of men without it was more than ten years younger at 51.2 years. The percentage of men with dysfunction who also suffered from high blood pressure was 11.7 percent, compared to 17.2 percent among those without ED. However, the percentage of patients with varying degrees of impotence who were also treated for hypertension was 38.4 percent, nearly double the 19.7 percent for men without sexual problems.

The percentage of regular smokers among impotent patients was 27.2% compared to 21.3 in men without ED. A large number of subjects in both groups suffered from elevated cholesterol levels 49.4% among patients with ED versus 45.2% without it. Also, diabetes was more common in men with ED (30.9%) than in the group without it, where only 9.4% suffered from this disease.

Mean body mass index for men with ED was 30.3, compared to 28.2 for men without ED. When asked about their level of physical activity in the 30 days prior to the survey, 45.8% of ED patients said they did not exercise, compared with 31.1% of men without ED. Moderate physical activity was noted in 26.3 percent of men with ED and 29.8 percent of men without ED, while 28.0 percent of men with ED said they were engaged in vigorous physical activity, compared with 39.1 percent men without ED.

Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in men with and without ED *

What will help with impotence

What can I take for sexual weakness? PDE-5 inhibitors help in most cases. The launch of Viagra in 1998 ushered in a new era in the treatment of impotence. Men with erectile dysfunction caused by insufficient blood flow to the penis, the most common cause of ED, can take a pill at any time and be ready for sexual activity in an hour or less. Viagra came on the market with several similar drugs that belong to a family of drugs, known as PDE5 inhibitors.

Clinical trials have shown that Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, Stendra and Zidena are safe and effective for more than 80% of the men they have been tested on. Each of these drugs are slightly different in their chemical composition, and some patients have found that one works better than the other and has fewer side effects. At the same time, a small percentage of men with circulatory erectile dysfunction may find that none of the PDE5 inhibitors work for them. In such cases, alternative treatments such as penile injections and vacuum pumps can solve the problem.

Viagra user demographics

CVS is the largest pharmacy chain in the US with approximately 10,000 stores. Viagra buyer statistics show that 50.3% of them are between the ages of 40 and 60, followed by 43.6% over 60. And just over 6 percent of Viagra buyers are under 40.

The CVS data is consistent with Viagra's developer Pfizer's estimate that the typical buyer of these blue pills is the average 50-year-old male.

Studies have also shown that African American and Hispanic men have a slightly higher average likelihood of developing erectile dysfunction than white Americans, but these differences are not generally reflected in consumer demand for the drug.