If you're one of the thousands who take drugs like Viagra (
sildenafil), Levitra (
vardenafil), or Cialis (
tadalafil) to treat
erectile dysfunction be warned: You may be missing important warnings about your health. Men who have symptoms for both heart disease and ED are twice as likely to die than men who have heart disease alone, according to
a study just out from the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation. The men with ED were also more likely to be hospitalized for heart failure or suffer a stroke. While ED has long been associated with the disease, this study is the first to find it can predict deaths caused by heart disease.
The double-blind, randomized study of 1,549 men found that
ACE inhibitors, which are proven to reduce heart disease risk, were not effective at controlling ED. But if you do seek treatment for ED it's important not to ignore your heart.
"Men with ED going to a general practitioner or a urologist need to be referred for a cardiology workup to determine existing cardiovascular disease and proper treatment," said Michael Bohm, M.D., the study's lead researcher. "These men are being treated for the ED, but not the underlying cardiovascular disease. A whole segment of men is being placed at risk."
In fact, say the researchers, ED should be considered as an important risk factor for heart disease, just like
high blood pressure and
cholesterol. "If a man has erectile dysfunction, then he needs to ask his physician to check for other risk factors of cardiovascular disease," Bohm said.
—Kevin McCarthy, associate editor
