Hello and welcome to another episode of healthy living. Erectile dysfunction (ED) or Impotence often comes as a sensitive health topic that men don’t like to discuss. ED is the inability to obtain and sustain penile erection for long enough to engage in sexual intercourse. This condition is mostly prevalent in men 40 year and above. Contributing factors to ED include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, enlarge prostate, and structural urogenital abnormalities. It may also stem from post-surgical complications as well as side effects of some medications such as antidepressants, antihypertensives and to name a few.
The first step in management of ED is through obtaining health history; including sexual, medical, psychosocial, and social histories. A detailed physical assessment is also necessary to assess genitourinary, cardiovascular, neurological, and endocrine systems. Laboratory testing can also be utilized in diagnoses. Detailed labs such as hormonal level testing-testosterone level, luteinizing hormone, prolactin level, thyroid stimulating hormone, hemoglobin A1c, lipid profile, Prostate specific antigen, complete metabolic panel, urinalysis, and EKG.
Once a diagnosis is made, the very first line therapy according to American Urological Association (AUA) is to start with oral phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors unless contraindicated. Obtaining EKG can help narrow down good candidates for PDE5 inhibitors. Other successful treatment includes injectable, implantable, and surgery. Do you or your partner suffer from ED? Is ED affecting your sex life? You can schedule a visit today with us.