By erectile dysfunction we mean the difficulty or inability of a man to have satisfactory sexual intercourse due to erection problems.
Erectile dysfunction affects an increasing number of people every day and can be considered in most cases as a vascular disease.
Multifactorial disease
The causes that produce erectile dysfunction are not usually unique, it is therefore a multifactorial pathology.
As in almost all diseases there are genetic causes, present from birth, there is also a psychological component that in some cases can act as a cause.
There are also acquired causes, among these we can say that age and the associated aging can progressively cause the penile arteries and veins not to function as they should. Likewise, certain diseases such as diabetes, arterial hypertension or ischemic heart disease can collaborate in the development of erectile dysfunction; the drugs used in these diseases and in some others would also be another risk factor. Finally we would have habits such as smoking, alcohol, drug abuse, which further complicate the prognosis of these patients.
Appropriate treatment for each case
As we can see, we are dealing with a complex pathology, with multiple causes that need to be identified in order to try to provide a personal solution for each patient.
Although the problem is complex there is treatment, generally the treatments currently available are used progressively and always after making a prior diagnosis.
Among the available treatments we have oral therapy, intracavernous drugs, vacuum systems, transurethral drugs and, of course, penile prosthesis implant surgery, which as a last resort definitely solves the problem of erectile dysfunction. Recently, therapies such as shock waves are being tested, which seem to achieve an improvement in the situation of the penile erectile tissue and consequently in erectile dysfunction.
Although, as we have already mentioned, this is a complex problem, if approached correctly, it has a solution. The first thing would be to make a treatment as close to the reality of each patient and from there provide each one what he needs; we must not forget the psychological aspect especially in younger patients in which a significant percentage of these problems are due to this cause, is something to take into account; in this aspect the joint work with psychotherapists is a very important factor.
The message that each patient should take away from the consultation is that his problem has a solution, since fortunately we have multiple alternatives, and if they do not work and the patient is willing to solve his problem, we have the penile prosthesis implant which, as we have already mentioned, solves the problem definitively.