{"id":16181,"date":"2015-10-01T09:35:59","date_gmt":"2015-10-01T16:35:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.accessrx.com\/blog\/?p=16181"},"modified":"2015-10-01T09:35:59","modified_gmt":"2015-10-01T16:35:59","slug":"erectile-dysfunction-and-age-separating-fact-from-fiction-m0901","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction\/erectile-dysfunction-and-age-separating-fact-from-fiction-m0901\/","title":{"rendered":"Erectile Dysfunction and Age: Separating Fact from Fiction"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Age
Age makes ED more likely, but it\u2019s not inevitable.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n The older a man is, the more likely he is to experience erectile dysfunction<\/a> (ED).<\/p>\n

A large survey of erectile function in men was conducted in 2003, and the numbers clearly indicated<\/a> that ED is more prevalent the older men get. The occasional inability to achieve or maintain an erection (especially in the presence of aggravating factors like excessive alcohol consumption) is not the same thing as ED, which is a chronic problem with having and maintaining erections sufficiently for sexual intercourse.<\/p>\n

In the 2003 survey, nearly three-quarters of the youngest men reported good sexual function, with only 12% reporting moderate to severe problems with erections. Of those reporting poor or very poor sexual functioning, which is indicative of ED, only 2% reported the problem before age 40. For men in their 40s, the prevalence was 4%, compared to 26% of men in their 50s and 40% of men in their 60s.<\/p>\n

A Physical Reason Can Almost Always Be Identified with ED<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most important changes wrought by the development of drugs known as PDE-5 inhibitors (which include popular ED medications Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis) has been the refutation of the notion that ED is \u201call in your mind\u201d or due to psychological problems. While there are indeed ways in which psychological problems can affect erection quality (particularly for men who take certain antidepressants), in the vast majority of men, ED can be traced to the physical problem of insufficient blood flow to the penis.<\/p>\n

The popular prescription medications for ED address this exact problem, by creating conditions that allow increased blood flow. The drugs themselves don\u2019t cause erections, but they allow sufficient blood flow for erections in the presence of sexual stimulation.<\/p>\n

Health Conditions That Predispose Men to ED Increase With Age<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the main reasons that the incidence of ED increases with age is that the very health problems that can compromise blood flow to the penis (and elsewhere in the body) become more common with increasing age. Heart disease is often due to narrowing or clogged blood vessels, and is increasingly common as men get older. Diabetes and high blood pressure are other chronic health conditions that are more common in older men and that can profoundly affect the condition of blood vessels throughout the body.<\/p>\n

Older men also must cope with the cumulative effects of lifestyle choices they have made long term. For example, the longer you smoke, the more likely you are to have ED, and chronic alcoholism also affects erection function. The longer these patterns are repeated, the more likely they are to cause problems with erections.<\/p>\n

Use of Medications That Can Lead to ED Increases with Age<\/strong><\/p>\n

Medications can affect the quality of erections<\/a>, and these include legitimately prescribed drugs as well as drugs used recreationally. For example, opiates can negatively affect the quality of erections, whether they\u2019re used recreationally or prescribed for pain relief. Other types of drugs that can affect erection quality or lead to ED include:<\/p>\n