High blood pressure could ruin your love life: Men with untreated hypertension ‘are almost twice as likely to suffer erectile dysfunction’
- Hypertension damages artery walls, causing them to harden and narrow
- This then reduces blood flow – which is the key to men achieving an erection
- The University of Athens scientists said blood pressure drugs can help things
High blood pressure could ruin your love life, doctors have warned.
Men with untreated hypertension are at almost twice the risk of suffering erectile dysfunction, a study concluded.
Greek scientists found men with a history of high blood pressure had damage to the vessels supplying blood to the genitals.
High blood pressure damages artery walls, causing them to harden and narrow.
This reduces blood flow – the key to achieving an erection.
Men with untreated hypertension are at almost twice the risk of suffering erectile dysfunction, a study concluded
The researchers, from the University of Athens, said blood pressure drugs can help things.
But they warned that some drugs can actually make things worse, so a careful approach is needed to select the right treatment.
The scientists, presenting their findings at the European Society of Cardiology, said impotence could also be a red flag that a man is at risk of dangerous heart disease.
Because of blood is struggling to reach the groin, it is also likely to be poor in the heart and brain, which could cause a heart attack or stroke.
The researchers tested 365 men with erectile dysfunction and no history of diabetes or cardiolvascular disease.
They carried out ultrasound scans on each participants’ genitals to evaluate blood vessel health.
Blood flow velocity progressively decreased with rising blood pressure.
Flow was fastest in those with normal blood pressure, slower in those with high-normal blood pressure, and slowest in those with hypertension – the medical term for high blood pressure.
Taking blood pressure drugs helped the problem for those with hypertension.
The researchers, however, warned that certain antihypertensive drugs – notably diuretics and beta blockers – have been linked with deterioration in sexual function.
Study leader Professor Charalambos Vlachopoulos said: ‘The progressive decrease in penile blood flow velocity across the three blood pressure categories in men not taking antihypertensive medication indicates significant structural changes in the penile blood vessels from longstanding hypertension.
‘The blood flow differences across the three blood pressure categories disappeared with treatment, suggesting a medication effect.’ An additional analysis found that among men with normal or high-normal blood pressure, taking drugs actually reduced blood flow, making the problem worse.
Professor Vlachopoulos said: ‘These results imply that hypertensive patients already have significant structural damage in the penile arteries and adding antihypertensive drugs does not further reduce penile blood flow.
‘But in men with normal or high-normal blood pressure, the penile arteries have minimal structural damage and medications could have a negative impact on penile blood flow.’ He urged men with concerns about sexual dysfunction to discuss it with their doctor.
‘For men with as yet untreated hypertension, older medications – beta blockers and diuretics – are not ideal and should be used only if absolutely indicated,’ he said.
‘[But] switching to another drug class does not guarantee either the restoration or improvement of erectile function.
‘This has to be carefully explained to patients in advance to avoid unreasonable expectations,’ he said.