A
review of studies published in the September issue of the journal “Sleep and
Breathing” suggests an association between erectile dysfunction, commonly known
as impotence, and obstructive sleep apnea - characterized by the interruption
syndrome of breathing for more than 10 seconds during sleep.
According
to experts at Tufts University in the United States, “Erectile dysfunction is a
well-known entity with certain risk factors, which usually has a negative
impact on quality of life.” And for them, obstructive sleep-disordered
breathing would be among the possible risk factors for erectile dysfunction.
Assessing
the scientific literature on the subject, the researchers found that there is
evidence that these respiratory disorders induce a series of abnormalities in
the neural regulation, hormonal and vascular that may contribute to the
development of sexual problems.
The
authors point out that, although more studies are needed for confirmation,
several cases and the opinions of experts have contributed to show a fundamental
relationship between apnea and erectile dysfunction.
With
the analyses, the researchers concluded that the treatment of respiratory
problem may help treat erectile dysfunction. Thus, it is recommended that
patients with this sexual problem were evaluated for sleep quality.
This
was the biggest study to date to exhibit a relationship between obstructive
rest apnea and erectile disorder. Specialists at Mount Sinai Medical Center in
New York assessed 870 continuously enlisted men through a heart screening
project. Patients were screened for obstructive sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction
through clinical polls and were asked some information about their history of
cardiovascular sickness, pulse, diabetes and smoking. The average age of the
men involved in the study was 47 years, with an average BMI of 30.
63
percent of patients in the study were noted positive for obstructive sleep
apnea, 5.6 percent had a past filled with diabetes, and 29 percent had a
smoking history. This concluded that the probability for having OSA increase
with the increase in the severity of erectile disorder.
While
there gives off an impression of being an immediate connection in the sleep
apnea or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the advancement of ED, the regular
covering components and shared danger elements make it to some degree hard to
build up an unmistakable fundamental relationship. Both conditions are
connected with aging, hypertension, and diabetes, which may jumble the genuine
relationship between sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction. Accordingly, some
civil argument exists about whether OSA is an essential cause of ED or whether
the two simply exist together because of comparable shared co-morbid fundamental
elements.
