Erectile dysfunction 'gives early warning of a heart attack'

London, Oct 22 : Erectile dysfunction is the best predictor of cardiovascular risk in men, according to an expert.

Dr Geoffrey Hackett from the Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham says that rectile dysfunction gives a two to three year early warning of a heart attack.

However, the link between erectile dysfunction and the risk of heart disease is being ignored by doctors, adds Hackett.

It is well known that erectile dysfunction - a symptom of vascular disease in the smaller arteries - doubles the risk of heart disease, a risk equivalent to being a moderate smoker or having an immediate family history of heart disease.

Erectile dysfunction in type 2 diabetes has been shown to be a better predictor of the risk of heart disease than high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

However, despite this considerable evidence erectile dysfunction is still treated as a recreational or 'lifestyle issue' rather than a predictor of a serious health problem, says Hackett.

He says that the British government has pledged to reduce the death rate from coronary heart disease and stroke and related diseases in people under 75 by at least 40 percent by 2010, yet there is no screening for erectile dysfunction in patients with diabetes or heart disease.

"Continuing to ignore these issues on the basis that cardiologists feel uncomfortable mentioning the word 'erection' to their patients or that they may have to deal with the management of a positive response, is no longer acceptable and possibly, based on current evidence, clinically negligent," Bmj.com quoted him, as saying.

ANI