It was considered earlier that erectile dysfunction is caused by the problem in your head and this is not something that appears for physical reasons. But the latest study revealed that 50% of the patients are diagnosed with erectile dysfunction caused by the physical factors.
According to the calculations 15-30 million of Americans have erectile dysfunction, though the level of severity differs much. Different men have different attitude to this problem. Some patients do not worry much while for others this is a disaster.
How to correct this condition? The answer to this question is the clue that helps to find the solution to the problem in each particular case. No need to tell how desperate patients may feel because of this diagnosis. Many men do not even know how to discuss it with an urologist. The information below will be helpful for all those who faced such situation.
How does it work?
The man should know more about the mechanics of the sexual dysfunction in order to understand what can be wrong with it. There are two chambers in the penis in the form of cylinders called the corpora cavernosa. The tissue is spongy and is filled with muscles, veins and arteries. The chambers are as long as the male organ. Membrane cover surrounds them. The other term for it is tunica albuginea. Semen and urine goes out from urethra. It is at the base of corpora cavernosa. The sponge tissue surrounds the urethra with meatus at the end. Shaft of the penis reaches the glans.
Erection arrives with a combination of physical, mental and sensory experience in the vascular system closely connected with a vascular system in the mechanism of erection. The arousal starts with brain impulses causing the formation of dopamine, nitric oxide and acetylcholine which bring to relaxation of corpora cavernosa. When muscles are relaxed, blood fills the spongy tissues. The organ becomes bigger as a result of that because all little spaces in the spongy tissue are full of blood. The male organ is full and hard. This is the erection that comes to an end when stimulation is over and pressure in the organ subsides after contraction of the muscles that happens with ejaculation. As blood leaves the penis, it acquires the former size and shape.
Basic things that you should know about erectile dysfunction
ED or erectile dysfunction occurs when man is not able to have erection or sustain it after it occurred. In this case ED is the condition that reveals when the male organ is not hard enough for penetration. It happens when the blood flow is not sufficient for erection for some reason or when something is wrong with a nervous system. In some cases the combination of both factors creates the problem. There are a lot of things that can trigger this condition. Erectile dysfunction can be an emotional disease just as the scientists asserted. In this case it reveals when stress, family conflicts, discord at work, nervousness and depression create difficulties in your life. But not only psychological reasons entail the disease. The range of factors that bring to ED is much wider. Physical factors are equally important. The condition can be provoked by medications. The person can acquire it in the course of treatment as he takes the medical preparation trying to cure some other disease. It is known already that men who treat the allergy, ulcer, hypertension, fungal infections and the range of psychological conditions encounter ED more often than other men. The reason for it is not a secret. Some drugs bring to erectile dysfunction therefore you should be more cautious during treatment of some diseases.
Who enters the group of risk?
Some men are more prone to develop the condition. These are patients with vascular problems that develop ED easily. Patients with high cholesterol can happen to be in a condition when arteries harden and narrow. The blood vessels can't function well when they are not elastic. This is a common thing for men over 60. Bad condition of veins and arteries prevents free blood flow. This also causes erectile dysfunction. In this way, atherosclerosis or arterial disease goes hand in hand with such undesirable condition as ED.
Men with neurological problems suffer from erectile dysfunction more often than others. These are the patients with injuries or spinal cord diseases, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and a number of certain progressive conditions that interfere with brain impulses. Peripheral neuropathy is one more condition that develops often with HIV, diabetes, medicines and some other conditions.
Patients with diabetes have to treat vascular and neurological diseases that affect health badly. They destroy nerves and blood vessels all over the organism. Deterioration of blood circulation and impulses makes the erection impossible.
Such diseases as bladder cancer or prostate cancer belong to less common diseases that undermine the normal functioning of the nervous system. Lack of hormonal balance or penile disorder can bring to erectile dysfunction too.
The ED symptoms
Inability to reach the erection is the main sign of erectile dysfunction. However, it is not that easy to determine the cause. One should pass through many tests. The doctor should study a full history of health. Comprehensive physical examination is required for exact diagnosing.
Some other tests may be needed to find out what prevents the normal work of erectile function. Doctor can order these tests in the laboratory. The main goal is to find out why blood flow is too weak to create an erection. For example, the blood test can point to elevated level of blood lipids, triglycerides. This happens during atherosclerosis. It is possible to reveal diabetes with urinalysis. The test can show the level of glucose and protein.
The chemical analysis of the body serves well to determine the cause, but there are other tools that show the way your body functions. How to control the body and make sure that there is no erection before starting treatment. NPT or nocturnal penile tumescele can inform you how your organism works when you sleep. It registers unplanned night erections the patient may not notice when sleeping.
Duplex ultrasonography is a technique that is used for monitoring of blood flow and vein leaks. This technique can show the signs of atherosclerosis. You can also find out about the scars on the erectile tissue in this way. The erection can be achieved with a shot of prostaglandin when test is performed. The injection is made right to the penis. Then the specialist looks at expansion of blood vessels and takes measurements. He looks how the blood circulates and at the readings of the penile blood pressure. There are certain parameters for limp penis. The experts compare the readings with the ones received in the course of examination. This test shows the condition of blood vessels. In case there is some blood vessel disease it makes the surgery impossible.
Surgery for erectile dysfunction
The researchers have discovered the innovative ways to treat erectile dysfunction. The quality of ED treatment has been considerably improved thanks to new methods. Nowadays urologists have the opportunity to treat their patients more effectively.
Doctors can offer penile prostheses to their patients – special appliances that are implanted by means of surgery. They proved to be effective for many patients.
In some cases vacuum erection device can be a good solution. This appliance makes the male organ hard. It attracts blood to penis by means of pumping and keeping it there.
Penile injections can effectively help you to overcome the problem of erectile dysfunction. The person applies vasoactive medications to corpora cavernosa. The medicine relaxes veins, widens them and blood flows easily.
ED treatment with pills can be referred to the most popular methods that help to get rid of erectile dysfunction. They include such medications as tadalafil, sildenafil, vardenafil and other PDE5 inhibitors. These remedies made the treatment available for millions of men all over the world. They raise the level of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in the body of the patient that is in charge of blood vessel relaxation.
The procedure of penile arterial revascularization is used to make the blood flow via different vessel. In other words, this is a rerouting procedure. This treatment method is good for men until they reach the age of 45 in case they do not have contraindications (risk of atherosclerosis). Doctor apply to the penile arterial revascularization to enhance the condition of the vessel after injury at the base of the male organ or as a result of pelvic facture. Damaged condition of vessels prevents the blood flow. In case it is so or the blood vessel is blocked the surgeon can correct the situation. He connects the artery to solve the problem. The blood gets to the penis but uses different route for it. It makes the erection possible.
Venous ligation surgery is the procedure that is concentrated on connection of leaky penile vessels responsible for firmness of penis during erection. Venous occlusion is important for rigidity of penis. One can achieve this only with relaxed tissue in the organ. There is often enough blood to solve the problem of erection. The rate of success does not exceed 50% therefore it is seldom chosen as a treatment method. Penile vascular surgery is not allowed for the patient in case he is diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes. Widespread atherosclerosis is also a disease that excludes the method of penile surgery as appropriate treatment. The surgery is not appointed to the patients with a smoking habit and high blood serum cholesterol level. Looking for the right treatment option, the patient should know that vascular surgery is regarded as the experimental option by some specialists. They should not even take this variant into consideration.
What should one expect after ED surgery
Most popular ED treatments are effective and secure. One should select this variant with full comprehension of potential complications. For example, advantage of penile prosthesis is its harmlessness. It does not tell badly on natural processes of the body such as urination, orgasm, and ejaculation. Rarely these rods covered with silicone and hydraulic devices provoke pain. In some cases the level of sensitivity can be reduced. As injections can bring to tumescence within 15 minutes to hours you should be ready for painful sensations and damage of penile connective tissue.
Use vacuum erection device in a right way. It should be applied for 1-3 minutes only to avoid unpleasant consequences. It is not recommended to sustain the erection for more than half an hour when this device is used.
Pills (sildenafil, vardenafil and tadalafil) are preferred in 80% of cases. Intake of medication brings the result within an hour and this efficacy becomes a decisive factor. However, there are side effects that can cast a gloom over the result achieved. They include headache, problems with stomach, flushing, pain in the muscles and etc. Besides, FDA warns all people who have serious heart problems and abnormal blood pressure to consult the specialist and be examined before intake of medication. Persons who take nitroglycerine or the medication of similar type should not take these medicines.