You may have always thought that erectile dysfunction (ED) is something that will affect your wellbeing when you’re older, if at all, or if you have a health condition like heart disease or diabetes. However, according to a new study, which was published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, your sexual health may be at risk of ED right now. The new study found that one in four men who sought ED help at an outpatient clinic was actually under the age of 40.
ED means is that you have a problem having or maintaining an erection, although the erectile problem is also a marker for your overall heart wellness. Based on data from 439 men who visited an outpatient clinic between 2010 and 2012 for newly developed erectile dysfunction, the study found that, compared with 40% of men older than age 40, nearly half of these men under 40 with ED (48.8%) had a severe case of the sexual condition.
Of the 439 patients, 26% were below the age of 40. While they weighed less, had more blood levels of testosterone, and had fewer medical conditions than their older counterparts, these younger men also smoked or used illegal drugs with more frequency than the men older than 40. These men were also more likely to experience premature ejaculation than the older men, but the over 40s were more likely to have Peyronie’s disease – a condition in which your erection is bent because of scar tissue.
In a statement, Irwin Goldstein, editor-in-chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, commented, ‘Erectile function, in general, is a marker for overall cardiovascular function – this is the first research showing evidence of severe erectile dysfunction in a population of men 40 years of age or younger. Clinically, when younger patients have presented with erectile dysfunction, we have in the past had a bias that their ED was primarily psychologically based and vascular testing was not needed. We now need to consider regularly assessing the integrity of arterial inflow in young patients – identifying arterial pathology in such patients may be very relevant to their overall long-term health.’