PubMed2003
After the acute phase, a patient who is diagnosed with cardiac or vascular disease becomes "chronically ill". This patient will then still spend many years without symptoms or impairments. One day, a percentage of such patients will be confronted with the problem of erectile dysfunction. Various studies have demonstrated that this problem occurs with a higher frequency in patients with cardiovascular diseases, in particular when they have to be treated for hypertension, diabetes mellitus or dyslipidemia. Very rarely are stenoses or occlusions found in the arteries responsible for penile circulation. More recent data indicates that a diffuse anomaly of the vascular endothelium is present, for which erectile dysfunction is a marker. Nowadays, medical care has achieved a better degree of standardization, not only thanks to knowledge about the effects of cardiovascular medication, but also because the physician can now prescribe drugs that treat erectile dysfunction.