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Impotence (Erectile dysfunction)

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of erectile dysfunction.

Risk Factors

More than 600,000 American men between ages 40 and 70 experience erectile dysfunction to some degree each year. An estimated 15 million to 30 million men in the U.S. have erectile dysfunction at some point during their lives.

For most men, erectile dysfunction is primarily associated with older age. While ED affects less than 10% of men in their 20s, 78% of men ages 75 or older have ED. Nevertheless, impotence is not inevitable with age. In a survey of men over 60 years old, 61% reported being sexually active, and nearly half derived as much if not more emotional benefit from their sex lives as they did in their 40s.

Severe erectile dysfunction in elderly men may have more to do with disease than age itself. In particular, older men are more likely to have heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure than younger men. Such conditions and some of their treatments are major risk factors for erectile dysfunction. Smoking and obesity are also prime risk factors for ED.

Many physical and psychological situations can cause erectile dysfunction, and brief periods of impotence are normal. Every man experiences erectile dysfunction from time to time. Nevertheless, if the problem is persistent, men should seek professional help, particularly since erectile dysfunction is usually treatable and may also be a symptom of a more widespread problem.

• Review Date: 6/27/2006
• Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital

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