erectile dysfunction
HOUSTON - Brief stress management sessions prior to and immediately after surgery may have both short- and long-term benefit for men undergoing a radical prostatectomy for early-stage prostate cancer, according to research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
A multi-center study of prostate cancer patients appearing in today's Journal of Urology recommends that for some men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer, opting not to initially receive treatment can be safe if they are closely monitored.
Low testosterone production appears to be a common complication of type 2 diabetes in men, affecting 1 out of 3 diabetic patients, a new study has shown. Moreover, results of the investigation show that this condition, known clinically as hypogonadism, is caused not by a defect in the testes, where testosterone is produced, but by improper functioning of the pituitary gland, which controls production of testosterone, or of the hypothalamus, the region of the brain that controls the pituitary.
The Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers not to purchase or to consume Actra-Rx or Yilishen, two products promoted and offered for sale on Web sites as ''dietary supplements'' for treating erectile dysfunction and enhancing sexual performance for men. These products in fact contain an active prescription drug ingredient. FDA has also issued an Import Alert instructing FDA field personnel to stop the importation of ''Actra-Rx'' and ''Yilishen.''
A University of Alberta researcher has discovered a potential breakthrough for premature ejaculation--the most common sexual dysfunction in men--with a drug usually used to treat bi-polar or anxiety disorder. Dr. Pierre Chue, a psychiatry professor at the U of A, has found success in treating premature ejaculation (PE) with the use of gabapentin, better known by the brand name Neurontin. Chue writes about his findings in the September issue of the ''Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.'' ''This disorder affects almost 40 per cent of males--it is even more common than erectile dysfunction--yet it is not talked about much and there has been very little research on it,'' said Chue.
For men with erectile dysfunction and low testosterone who do not respond to Viagra alone, the supplemental use of testosterone gel improves erectile function and overall sexual satisfaction, according to a NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center study. ''Our data support the potential benefits of a combination therapy with testosterone gel for men with erectile dysfunction and low testosterone who find sildenafil by itself ineffective,'' said Dr. Shabsigh. ''When assessing erectile dysfunction, doctors and patients should consider using a simple blood test to determine if low testosterone is a contributing factor. If the root cause is low testosterone, sildenafil alone won't fix the problem.''
The launch of sildenafil (Viagra) had an adverse effect on the morale of men who found it did not work, according to new research. It also reveals that men are more distressed by impotence than has generally been realised. Researchers interviewed a random sample of 40 men prescribed sildenafil who had attended a men's health clinic in the year before the study. Erectile dysfunction caused serious distress to all those men who experienced it, with marked effects on their self-esteem and wellbeing. Personal relationships were badly affected, with almost a quarter of men thinking that they were "letting down their partners." Misery was generally suffered alone as many men felt unable to talk about it to their partners, friends, or colleagues.
Carefully selected men with congestive heart failure appear to be able to safely take sildenafil, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED), if they are not taking nitrates to treat their heart condition, and have no evidence of myocardial ischemia, according to an article in the March 8 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Erectile dysfunction affects an estimated 52 percent of men aged 40 to 70, is common in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), and is associated with symptoms of depression, according to the article. Reports of deaths associated with sildenafil caused some physicians not to prescribe the drug to patients with heart disease. Sildenafil can decrease blood pressure in patients who take nitrates, and should not be taken by this group, the article states.
Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston report an important advance in tissue engineering of the penis, raising hopes that men with severe impotence - due to penile trauma, surgery, cancer, congenital malformations or other conditions - may someday be able to regain sexual function.
These findings, presented at the American Urological Association meeting in Chicago, have implications for men who need reconstruction of the penis, and for men whose penis is intact but has suffered nerve damage - such as men who have undergone radical surgery for prostate cancer.
Cigarette smoking significantly increases the risk of erectile dysfunction, according to a study reported today at the American Heart Association's 43rd Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. Men who smoked more than 20 cigarettes daily had 60 percent higher risk of erectile dysfunction, compared to men who never smoked. The data showed a dose-related impact of smoking: the risk of erectile dysfunction was lower in men who smoked fewer cigarettes, but still increased compared to non-smokers.
When Viagra was introduced in 1999, the drug's manufacturer warned of a number of visual side effects, including possible nerve damage to the eyes. But a California study rules out some of these risks -- even when the drug is taken in high doses. According to Dr. Tim McCulley, assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of California at Irvine, blood flow in the eye does not seem to be reduced by even high doses of the popular erectile dysfunction drug. Since Viagra lowers blood pressure overall, there was persistent suspicion that the drug might cause decreased optical blood flow, which can cause nerve damage.
