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