Erectile Dysfunction Treatments

Erectile dysfunction has been defined by a National Institutes of Health conference as the inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. Erectile dysfunction is strongly age related. As many as 30 million men may be affected in the USA [1]. While there is an estimated prevalence across all ages of about 10% (making erectile dysfunction common), the prevalence rises to over 50% in men between 50 and 70 years of age, though it is not an inevitable consequence of normal ageing [1]. It is also associated with a number of organic disorders and diseases. In diabetes, for instance, it occurs in up to 40% of men. But erectile dysfunction may also occur with cardiovascular disorders (especially in men with angina or after myocardial infarction), neurological disorders, after pelvic surgery or trauma, and as a consequence of pharmacological treatments of a number of diseases [2]. Conditions that are common often become expensive if an effective treatment comes along. For erectile dysfunction what most of us know (or think) is that treatments are reserved for funny boxes in the pages of our more popular newspapers. We might be dimly aware that a number of physical treatments have been used, including semi-rigid or inflatable implants, vacuum constriction devices, and vascular surgery. Some of these can be effective in some men, but they can be expensive and may not be appropriate in every affected man.