Erectile Dysfunction: Is It a Sign of Heart Disease?

By: William H. Bestermann, Jr., MD

Erectile dysfunction may be an early warning sign of arterial disease because the health of the penile arteries reflects the health of the rest of the arteries as well.

Do you remember the guy on the cigarette commercial-the ruggedly handsome, cool cowboy with the hat and the sheepskin jacket? The message was clear-smoke a cigarette and you can be like me! Well, guys, there is one reason you would not want to be like this gentleman. He is a prime candidate for erectile dysfunction because of the detrimental effect of cigarettes on the health of his arteries.[1]

The ability to achieve and maintain an erection is fundamentally an arterial event. Firmness of the penis is produced when the blood flowing into the penis gets trapped by the expansion of the sinusoids in the corpora cavernosa.[2]

Of course, the inflow of blood to the penis depends on the condition of its arterial supply. And, it is important to understand that the health of the penile arteries often reflects the health of the arteries in the body in general. Therefore, erectile dysfunction becomes an early warning signal for arterial disease.

This is a great topic to help understand the central role of nitric oxide in the arterial system.