Category Archives: Sexual Health

Gout a Risk Factor for Erectile Dysfunction

This week is designated Men’s Heath Week and our posts have addressed male health topics. Today’s post reviews a research study on the relationship between gout and erectile dysfunction (ED).

Gout is the most common cause of inflammatory arthritis among U.S. adults. According to statistics from the Arthritis Foundation, about 4% of U.S. adults suffer from gout. It currently affects over 8 million individuals. It is much more common in men, with men three times more likely than women to develop gout.

A research group in Taiwan initiated a longitudinal cohort study to examine the relationship between gout and subsequent development of erectile dysfunction in men. The study enrolled over 19,000 men, ages 18-64, who were newly diagnosed with gout. The control group included over 77,000 men without gout. The researchers also tracked comorbid risk factors such as chronic renal risk failure, congestive heart failure, depression, diabetes, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease.

The researchers discovered that the participants with gout had a 1.21-fold greater risk of developing ED, compared to those without gout. Worse, subjects that had gout and one of the comorbid risk factors had more than a 2-fold increased risk of developing ED, compared to those without gout or cormorbid risk factors.

This is an important study showing that gout is a significant risk factor in the development of ED in men. Gout is a pro-inflammatory condition, and as seen in other research pro-inflammatory conditions often contribute to ED.

While this study was among Asian males, there is reason to believe the results would be similar in a more diverse population such as seen in the U.S. Consideration of the higher risk of ED in those diagnosed with gout may provide an extra incentive to men to have their gout treated and managed effectively.

“Gout, a physician’s name for the rheumatism of a rich patient.” –  Ambrose Bierce

(Source- The Journal of Rheumatology 2015; 42:9)

This blog is a review of published and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

 

Erectile Dysfunction a Risk Factor for Dementia

June 10-16th is designated Men’s Health Week, and in addition June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. Today’s post will look at research regarding dementia and erectile dysfunction (ED).

ED is a common medical problem, particularly in aging males. The Massachusetts Male Aging Study showed about 40% of males are affected at age 40, while nearly 70% are affected by age 70. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Survey (NHANES) showed that over 18% of males age 20 and older were afflicted with ED.

A research group based in Taiwan performed a retrospective cohort study on a population of  Asian men. There were two groups, the first group were men who had recently been diagnosed with ED. The second group, or control group, were matched samples, without ED. There were over 4,000 subjects in the ED group, and nearly 21,000 subjects in the control (non-ED) group. Other health issues such as anxiety, chronic kidney disease, coronary heart disease, depression, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism and stroke were tracked. The subjects were followed over a 7 year period.

After the 7 year follow-up period what the researchers found was astounding- the subjects with ED were 1.68 times more likely to develop dementia than the non-ED (control) group.

The researchers also discovered that the subjects with anxiety, chronic kidney disease, depression, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and stroke were 1.48 times more likely to develop dementia.

This study, published in 2015, was the first population based study to examine the risk of developing dementia among men with ED. While the study population was Asian men, there is reason to believe that the results would similarly apply to non-Asian populations.

There are several possible mechanisms for the association between ED and dementia. One possible factor is damage to the endothelial layer, which lines the blood vessels. Damage to this crucial layer is associated with coronary heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. A pro-inflammatory state is seen to be a factor in endothelial damage.

This is an important research paper, and should been seen as a distant early warning of sorts. Given the inability of the currently available medicines to reverse dementia, a more preventative strategy should be considered. Men with ED, particularly at younger ages, should consider what health changes they can make to lower their future risk for dementia later in life.

“Lay hold of today’s task, and you will not need to depend so much upon tomorrow’s. While we are postponing, life speeds by.”–  Seneca

(Source- Medicine, Volume 94, Number 24, June 2015)

This blog is a review of published medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

 

 

Acupuncture for Sexual Dysfunction

June 10-16th is designated Men’s Health Week, and so our posts this week will address men’s health issues. Today’s post will examine the use of acupuncture for sexual dysfunction, in both men and women.

Anti-depressant medication use is common, and sexual dysfunction rates may be as high as 50-90% with some of these medications. The results of a study may offer hope to those who suffer sexual side effects from commonly prescribed anti-depressant medications.

This research was conducted in Toronto, Canada. 35 subjects enrolled in the study, both men and women. Participants were referred into the study after complaining of sexual side effects from anti-depressant medications. After enrolling in the study, each subject received twelve acupuncture visits, following a fixed acupuncture treatment protocol. Subjects completed a self assessment of sexual functioning, as well as an assessment of anxiety and depression, throughout the study. There a was also a follow up visit one month after the treatment protocol was completed.

Results of the study showed significant improvement in symptoms, particularly among males. Males were also more likely to have decreases in anxiety and depression while receiving acupuncture treatment.

Interestingly, the self reported symptom severity scores one month after completion of the acupuncture treatment were similar to those at completion of the acupuncture treatment, indicating that perhaps acupuncture treatment is able to produce some longer lasting improvements in sexual function.

As with most acupuncture studies, the number of reported adverse reactions to acupuncture treatment is very low. In general the vast majority of patient’s treated with acupuncture find it a well tolerated therapy. Given how frequent sexual side effects are with commonly prescribed anti-depressant medications, perhaps consider acupuncture as a way to help with this, in both men and women.

“Prevention is better than cure.” – Desiderius Erasmus

(Source- Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Volume 19, Number 11, 2013)

This blog is a review of published medical and health literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

 

 

Vitamin D and Erectile Dysfunction

June 10-16 is designated Men’s Health Week, and so several posts this week will address men’s health concerns. Today’s post will examine vitamin D and it’s potential association with erectile dysfunction (ED).

Data from the CDC indicate that approximately 25% of Americans are at risk for vitamin D inadequacy, while 8% are at risk for deficiency. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES)  shows over 41% to be vitamin D deficient in their sample of nearly 4500 adults, with African-Americans and Hispanics generally having worse levels of vitamin D deficiency.

Original research from Italy shows a higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in a group of men with vascular ED, compared to men without vascular ED. 143 men were enrolled from a hormone clinic in Milan, Italy. The participants were divided into vascular ED, non-vascular ED, and borderline ED groups, based on penile doppler results. These groups were then compared based on various lab tests, including Vitamin D, lipids, and testosterone levels, among others.

The results showed a higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the men with vascular ED, compared to men with non-vascular ED. Vitamin D levels were also lower in the men with more severe ED.

It is believed that normal vitamin D levels are important to healthy functioning of the endothelium, which lines the blood vessels. The results of this study indicate that low vitamin D levels are a potentially modifiable risk factor for ED of a vascular cause. If you are developing ED, you may want to get your vitamin D level checked.

“You take the healthiest diet in the world, if you gave those people vitamins, they would be twice as healthy. So vitamins are valuable”–  Robert Atkins MD

(Source- Journal of Sexual Medicine 2014;11)

This blog is a review of published and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone.

 

Smoking Increases Risk of Erectile Dysfunction in Men

A common New Year’s resolution is to quit smoking, as it should be, as this may be the most important intervention to improve one’s health. A study from 2013 may provide some incentive to men who are considering quitting smoking in 2018.

This was a meta-analysis, which included 8 studies in total, with over 28,000 participants. The studies were from the U.S., Brazil, Jamaica, and Finland. The researchers reviewed the studies in an effort to analyze the association between smoking and the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED).

The reviewers had some issues with combining data from the various studies, due to differences in study design. They felt the data from the prospective studies was more accurate. Using these prospective studies, it was estimated that the risk of ED was increased 51% for current smokers, and 20% for ex-smokers, when compared to never smokers.

Given this profound increased risk of ED in smokers, perhaps this will provide the additional incentive needed for men smokers to finally give up cigarettes in 2018.

(Source- PLOS ONE, April 3, 2013)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used to information purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

 

Testosterone Reduces Lying in Men

In recognition of the last day of Men’s Health Month, this post will examine a unique study conducted in Germany.

Thousands of medical research studies are published each year. Many add to the existing knowledge base about a certain medical condition, while others may suggest new areas for future research. A handful of studies each year could be considered “game changers”, and may lead to immediate re-examination of existing clinical treatment protocols.

On the other hand, there are also those studies which may make you scratch your head and mutter “huh?”. A recent study may fall into this latter category. In the study, entitled “Testosterone Administration Reduces Lying in Men”, German researchers looked at the effects of the application of testosterone to a group of healthy men, average age 24 years. On day one of the experiment, men were given either real testosterone gel or a placebo. On the second day of the experiment the men participated in dice rolling and other experiments. Testosterone levels were checked in all study subjects, and were (as expected) much higher in the testosterone treated group.

The researchers concluded that there was a lower incidence of lying in the testosterone treated group.

It’s not clear if there will be a follow-up study here in the US, perhaps sponsored by one of the testosterone replacement product manufacturers. Politicians may be a group worthy of further study. 

 

(Source-PLOS ONE, October 2012, Volume 7, Issue 10)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

Got ED? Get Checked for Diabetes

MHW_15

“I give you bitter pills in sugar-coating. The pills are harmless, the poison is in the sugar”
Stanislaw Jerzy Lec

 

In our continuing series of blogs in June dedicated to Men’s Health Month today’s post will examine the relationship between erectile dysfunction (ED) and undiagnosed diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

A research group in Canada looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) during 2001-2004. The NHANES is designed to be a retrospective survey of the U.S. population. Researchers studied more than 4500 men ages 20 and older.

Researchers examined the association of ED with undiagnosed diabetes, undiagnosed high blood pressure, and undiagnosed high cholesterol amongst the sample of 4500 men.

ED was found to be strongly associated with undiagnosed diabetes, and in particular in men ages 40-59 years old. In the 40-59 year old age group undiagnosed diabetes was present in 19.1% of men with ED, whereas diabetes was present in only 3.3% of men without ED. Interestingly there was no statistically significant relationship between undiagnosed high blood pressure and ED, or undiagnosed high cholesterol and ED.

Given this convincing data men who develop ED should strongly consider being tested for diabetes.

 

(Source- Annals of Family Medicine, Vol. 13, No. 4)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.

 

Want to Avoid E.D.? Quit Smoking.

MHW_15

“Smoking is harmful to the nose, harmful to the brain, and dangerous to the lungs”

King James I

June is Men’s Health Month, and this month I will write several articles about men’s health issues. In today’s post we will discuss the relationship between smoking and erectile dysfunction (ED).

A group of researchers at the School of Public Health at the Tongji Medical College in Wuhan China performed a meta-analysis of existing studies which covered the topic of smoking and ED. They eventually included ten studies which involved more than 50,000 men. Both smoking and ED were assessed by the use of questionnaires.

What the researchers discovered was that not only the quantity of cigarettes was positively associated with the risk of ED, but the duration (number of years) was associated with the risk of ED as well. For instance, the risk of ED increased 14% for smoking 10 cigarettes a day, and the risk of ED increased 15% for ten years of smoking.

One of the strengths of this meta-analysis is that is pools data from several countries, including Australia, China, U.S., Brazil and Italy, which increases the applicability of the results. Hopefully data like this will encourage men who smoke to think twice before they light up the next cigarette.

(Source- Journal of Sexual Medicine 2014; 11)

This blog is a review of medical and scientific literature, and should only be used for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical or health advice, nor does it create a physician-patient relationship with anyone. Discuss any health concerns with your personal physician.