London, July 13 (IANS) Men with erectile dysfunction who are depressed can also face cardiovascular risks.
Cardiovascular disease is the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels (arteries and veins).
Erectile dysfunction and depressive mood are often associated, and both are linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death, reports the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
Researchers led by Elisa Bandini of the University of Florence (Italy) studied 2,000 male patients for sexual dysfunction using a structured interview while also scoring for depressive symptoms.
Results show that in these subjects with erectile dysfunction, depression increases cardiovascular problems, independently from other known risk factors.
Furthermore, even the use of anti-depressant medications did not alter the relationship between severe depressive symptoms and adverse cardiovascular events, says a University of Florence release.
‘Recognising depressive symptoms in subjects with erectile dysfunction is mandatory not only for improving their sexual life, but also for preventing cardiovascular diseases,’ Bandini notes.
‘What is important about this study is the broader concept of the sexual medicine problem no longer being just about a man’s performance in the bedroom, but about his psychological mood and his cardiovascular health,’ states Irwin Goldstein, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Sexual Medicine and director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego.
