Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is a medical condition which affects the ability of men to achieve or sustain an erection for sexual intercourse. It is among the more common sexual disorders that men face. There are several degrees of erectile dysfunction. It can vary from mild cases to severe ones. In mild cases, men will be able to have a successful erection 70-80% of the time, whereas in moderate cases of ED men achieve an erection about 40-60% of the time. In severe cases, instances of successful erection go down to as less as 0-30%.

Statistics on Erectile Dysfunction

As mentioned before, Erectile Dysfunction is an extremely prevalent condition among men, more so than we would suspect. Statistics claim that one out of every ten men in the world has erectile dysfunction, and in the United States alone, there are more than 30 million men suffering from impotency.

According to surveys done by the Sexual Dysfunction Association in UK, 10% of the men in UK have experienced sexual dysfunction, either temporarily or permanently, at some point of time in their life. The likelihood of getting erectile dysfunction increases with the progression in age. 39% of the patients were in their forties, whereas over 60% of them were in their late sixties. Even though Erectile Dysfunction is prevalent among older men, it is also seen to be rising among men in their twenties.

Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

There are several causes that lead to Erectile Dysfunction. These can be both psychological and physiological. However, there are a few factors that are more responsible for causing ED than others. For instance, vascular diseases like arteriosclerosis, which reduces the flow of blood in the body, accounts for over 50% of the cases of ED in men who are in their sixties. Diabetes can be yet another cause of ED as it was noticed that 50% of the men diagnosed with diabetes ended up with this condition, some within 10 years of this diagnosis.

Chain smokers are also more susceptible to Erectile Dysfunction. It was found that men who smoked more than 1 pack of cigarettes a day stood 50% higher chances of impotency than non smokers in the same age limit.

Treatment

There are several treatment options for Erectile Dysfunction, which include non surgical treatment like sex therapy, medication, suppositories, vacuum devices and surgical treatments as well.

Among drugs, the more effective ones are Viagra®, Levitra®, and Cialis®. Viagra is known to be effective in about 75% instances of ED. 83% of patients with Erectile Dysfunction arising from spinal injuries responded well to this drug as did 43% of patients with Diabetes mellitus.

Self-injection with prescribed drugs is yet another form of treatment. About 70% of the men declared that they were happy with the results, as an erection from these injections typically lasted from about half an hour to two hours.

A small percentage of patients of ED also go in for vascular reconstructive surgery. This treatment is best for young men whose main cause for Erectile Dysfunction is local arterial blockage. Nearly 75% of the men claimed that the process restored normal function of the penis.