Posts Tagged ‘Erectile dysfunction’

Erectile dysfunction is strong predictor of fatal heart ailments, study finds

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 by Michael A. Werner MD

Men treated for ED should routinely be checked for cardiovascular problems, experts say.

For the first time, researchers have shown that erectile dysfunction is a strong predictor of the likelihood that men will die of heart disease.  Researchers have long suspected the connection between ED and heart disease, but now there is evidence that there is increased risk of heart attack and death among men with ED.

This has to do with the small arteries in the penis;  those arteries can become blocked (and cause ED) before arteries in the heart do.

In the five years of follow-up in the German study among 1,519 men from 13 countries , men with ED were 1.9 times as likely to die from heart disease, twice as likely to have a heart attack, 1.2 times as likely to be hospitalized for heart failure and 1.1 times more likely to have a stroke.

The abstract from the study can be viewed at:

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.864199v1

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Dr. Ed

Sunday, April 13th, 2008 by Michael A. Werner MD

I have been called many things, some of which are unprintable even here.  But this was a new one.  A patient came in with his fiancee (soon to be wife.)  I had just started him on injections for erectile dysfunction, and they were both thrilled.  I had not yet met her, but she wanted to meet me.  They said that they had started calling me Dr. Ed, and it was on the calender.

I of course had visions of being considered a talking horse with an expertise on sex.  However, the simple explanation was simply it was short for ED (erectile dysfunction.)

What was the most enjoyable for me was how much her open approach to the injections and their ability to laugh about it and really enjoy their new found sex lives affected so positively the whole process.  They concentrated on how great things were, and didn’t worry about the fact that spontanaeity was not 100%.  (Though, interestingly the injections act much more quickly than oral medications, and thus give the partner more opportunity to initiate.) 

This contrasted to a patient I have seen for seven years, who every time he come in asks me why he needs the injections and talks about how frustrated his wife is.  This is despite the fact that he gets fantastic erections and overall is fine with it himself!

I have asked her to come in over the years to talk to me but she has never done so.

Anyway, the contrast just drove home to me again how important the attitude of the partner is in the success of the whole endeavor.

I like being Dr. Ed.

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Viagra Celebrates 10 Years

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008 by Ilene Rosenthal, Marketing

Viagra has been around for 10 years.  The NY Daily News did a great article today on the anniversary of Viagra.  In the article, the reporter quoted two of the experts from our blog: Michael A. Werner, MD, FACS , a specialist in sexual dysfunction and Bat Sheva Marcus, LMSW, MPH, PhD, clinical director of The Medical Center for Female Sexuality.

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Sexual Dysfunction in Adolescents

Friday, March 14th, 2008 by Michael A. Werner MD

I see many adolescents these days with erectile dysfunction (ED).  To their credit, most of them discuss this with their parents and then come in to see me.  Most of the time they have seen another specialist and are told that it is all psychological and that if they just relaxed it will go away.  Unfortunately, this rarely works.  90% of the time in men, ED is physical.  Though in men under 35, 90% of the time it is psychological.  Thus most likely it is primarily psychological, but there is that 10% as well.

My approach has been to do a full evaluation.  If there is no physical component found, we then discuss our options.  Most of the time, this is not an indication of severe pathology or even of sexual ambivalence etc.  Often, it is an isolated problem, which gets worse over time because of the anxiety it creates.  I will usually treat it physically (though obviously not surgically.)  Most of the time it will correct itself over time with treatment, and he can wean himself off treatment.  It has been a very successful approach, and one that the parents (if involved in their son’s care) have been very accepting of and pleased with.

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