Impotence May Indicate Heart Disease

Impotence may provide an effective warning sign of heart disease and diabetes in slim men, a new study suggests.

Early signs of the conditions are often missed in men of normal weight who appear outwardly healthy.

But what happens in the bedroom may point the way to undiagnosed problems, researchers have found.

They believe erectile dysfunction could be used to alert doctors who may be unaware their patients are at risk.

A team led by Dr Varant Kupelian, from the New England Research Institutes in Massachusetts, analyzed data collected from 928 men over a 15-year period.

The researchers looked for signs of metabolic syndrome (MetS), which can lead to heart disease and diabetes. Symptoms include raised cholesterol, high blood sugar, high blood pressure and obesity.

In men with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25, those with erectile dysfunction were twice as likely to develop MetS as those without the problem.

BMI is a measurement that relates height and weight. A BMI of 19 to 25 is considered normal while people who score 30 and above are categorized as clinically obese.

In overweight or obese men, it is easier to see evidence of metabolic syndrome.

Next: The penis as a barometer for heart disease >