Possibility of Heart Desease from Erectal Disfunction.

I has been discovered that men with erectile dysfunction (ED) are 80 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease compared to men who do not have ED. Men ages 40 to 49 with ED are twice as likely to get heart disease says Jennifer St. Sauver, a Mayo Clinic researcher.

Researchers don't know why the link exists.

Some have theorized that erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease may be caused by the same underlying problem. A buildup of plaque that can block arteries around the heart may plug the smaller penile arteries first. Another idea is that arteries may lose elasticity over time, affecting the penis first and the heart later.

The study carried out on 1,402 men from age 40 and up who lived in Olmsted County, Minnesota, for a 10-year period starting in 1996. None had heart disease at the start of the study.

Erectile dysfunction increases with age. The prevalence of ED at the start of the study:

Age 40-49: 2.4 percent.

Age 50-59: 5.6 percent.

Age 60-69: 17 percent.

Age 70 and up: 38.8 percent.

In men in their 50s, 60s and 70s, the total incidence of new cases of heart disease also was higher in those with erectile dysfunction. However, the differences were not as striking as those seen among the 40- to 49-year- olds.

According to St. Sauver, "In older men, erectile dysfunction may be of less prognostic importance for development of future heart disease," she said.

Two previous studies, in 2005 had Preached similar but preliminary conclusions.