Plenty of adults suffer from hypertension. Statistics show that one of every four American adults suffers from the condition. Unfortunately, it is closely linked to erectile dysfunction (ED). Bringing your blood pressure to a normal level may help you to have a healthy sex life.
Testosterone hormone is responsible for sex drive in men. High blood pressure may lead to a reduction in the production of the hormone which may lead to low sex drive.
The flow of blood and blood pressure has a significant impact on your ability to get and maintain an erection. Hypertension and ED have endothelium dysfunction in common. They both cause a disturbance of endothelium and the result is an increased contraction of the vascular smooth muscle. There has been some evidence to suggest that erectile dysfunction is an early sign of high blood pressure. PDE-5 inhibitors which are used to treat erectile dysfunction may be useful in improving blood pressure. It is, however important to note that the connection between the two conditions is not entirely clear.
What Causes Erectile Dysfunction?
Erectile Dysfunction occurs when there is an increase or an unhealthy response to contractile stimuli including ET-1 and Ang II. It may also occur when there is low production or response to the stimuli that is responsible for promoting penile VSM relaxation. Other factors include high sensitivity to vasoconstrictor molecules and poor responsiveness to vasodilatory mediators.
If you use β-blockers in the treatment of hypertension, they may cause ED. According to studies, treating hypertension with β-blockers is likely to cause ED and impotence.
The most significant link between high blood pressure and ED is endothelial dysfunction. They may be different conditions but they are closely connected. Most factors that cause hypertension also cause ED. If you suffer from either of them, consult a doctor to get the right treatment.