Erectile Dysfunction and Hypertension

Research has revealed that erectile dysfunction (ED) may occur at one time or another in about 70% of men. It may be even more common than that because many men may be too embarrassed to mention the issue to their doctors. Studies also show that about 67 to 70% of men with high blood pressure have some level of erectile dysfunction. However, someone who has had moderate high blood pressure for several years may be less likely to have erectile dysfunction than a younger man suffering from serious hypertension for a short period.

How High Blood Pressure Can Cause ED
Before explaining why high blood pressure can cause ED, you should understand the physiology behind an erection. Inside the penis are two cavities made of small arteries and veins, muscle tissue, and empty space that are responsible for erections. These two chambers are covered by thin tissue. When a man gets an erection, either the brain or nerve endings in the penis send signals that make the muscles in these chambers relax enough and open wider to allow blood to fill the empty space. This blood flow is trapped in the penis and it expands and stiffens to cause an erection.

So how does high blood pressure affect this process? The most prominent theory is that the excess pressure in the blood vessels caused by high blood pressure can cause damage such as tears in the small arteries in the penis. The body does repair these tears, but this causes those arteries to become thicker. Once the arteries thicken, they can’t respond as fast or as efficiently to the need for extra blood, restricting the ability of the penis to get an erection. Another theory is that high blood pressure makes those smooth muscles in the penis unable to relax enough to accommodate the blood flow into the penis.

Often times, men with high blood pressure have lower levels of testosterone, the male hormone that affects sexual arousal.

Treatment for ED Caused by High Blood Pressure
Logically, the first thing to do in these cases would be to treat the high blood pressure with medication. Unfortunately, it is well known that a lot of the most widely used drugs to treat high blood pressure can cause erectile dysfunction themselves or even make it worse. Hypertension pills most associated with causing ED contain diuretics and beta-blockers.

In cases of erectile dysfunction caused by high blood pressure that are resistant to this type of treatment, other options like surgery, injections, and alternate drugs may be tried.

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