Don’t ignore erectile dysfunction in your 40s, study finds link to cardiovascular disease

Erectile dysfunction isn't just a sex life problem, it can also be related to cardiovascular health. A study analyzing nearly 3.495 million U.S. men found that erectile dysfunction is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, a link that was also evident among men ages 41 to 50.

This study was jointly conducted by researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital and other institutions in the United States. It was published in the International Journal of Impotence Research on May 18.

The research team analyzed large-scale data from men aged 18 to 70 through the large electronic medical record database (TriNetX) in the United States to explore the relationship between erectile dysfunction, low testosterone and health problems such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and obesity.

Studies indicate that erectile dysfunction is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease in all age groups. Among them, the hazard ratio (HR) for men aged 41 to 50 years was 2.54, which was statistically significant. The study also found that men aged 18 to 30 who have both low testosterone and erectile dysfunction have a higher risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome than those who only have erectile dysfunction.

The study included a total of 3.494600 men with erectile dysfunction, low testosterone, or both. The research team analyzed the metabolic and cardiovascular health outcomes of different ethnic groups through age stratification and propensity score matching.

However, this study adopted a retrospective generational design and analyzed disease diagnosis records in existing data. It cannot prove that erectile dysfunction directly causes cardiovascular disease, nor can it alone determine the probability of individual men suffering from the disease in the future.

Erectile dysfunction may involve vascular, metabolic and hormonal factors. If a man continues to have erection difficulties, it should not be attributed solely to stress or age. He can seek medical advice to evaluate blood pressure, blood sugar, blood lipids and other possible causes to confirm whether it is accompanied by cardiovascular or metabolic problems.