Erectile Dysfunction is Sweeping the Nation

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a medical condition characterized by difficulty in achieving and sustaining an erection. Research has done a lot more than produce statistics for ED, rather it has helped provide hope through medical breakthroughs for men suffering from ED.     

In 2003, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) in the United States released statistics on the occurrence of Impotence or ED in the country. Do keep in mind that the information below may have changed as of this year. Statistics for other countries are also available online.

At the time of the study, the prevalence of impotence are 30 million men, which meant that one out of nine men suffer from ED. Every year, more than 600,000 new cases of ED arise. According to the American Journal of Epidemiology, 20 to 46% of American men between the ages of 40 to 69 are impotent in 2002.

Information from a current Massachusetts Male Ageing study: 52% of 1,709 participants over 40 years old experience difficulty in having an erection. Between the ages of 40 to 50, only about 17-19% of the men surveyed have frequent ED, while 5-8% experience severe and constant ED. From the ages of 60 and above, the percentage of men with moderate to frequent ED is 27-32%, and 11-15% have severe and constant ED.

The NIDDK issued an update on impotence in 2005, in which they summarized data gathered from earlier studies. The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) said that in 1985, for every 1,000 American men, 7.7 of their doctor visits are related to ED. This number increased to 22.5 in 1999, partially attributed to the awareness to ED already present in the population, which allows patients to talk about it more openly.

Regarding the causes of impotence in the US, 70% of ED cases were brought about by diabetes, kidney disease, alcoholism, cardiovascular disease, and neurologic disease. For men with diabetes, about 35 to 50% of them have ED. At present, 15 to 30 million men in the United States are affected by impotence, regardless of age.

Also, according to the NIDDK, a patient’s medical history may be informative in determining if he is a candidate for ED. ED may be caused by chemical imbalance in the body, brought about by other types of medications or illegal drugs. One-fourth of impotence cases are related to other drugs taken by the patient.

Psychological factors have been found to be contributive to ED. If a man with ED attributes his condition to severe stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, or fear of sexual failure, he belongs to the 10 to 20% of patients who may need psychotherapy for ED.

All over the nation, men can experience ED due to a number of conditions. New techniques and treatments are currently in the works to find a solution for ED. At present, the Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematological Diseases of the NIDDK continues to fund research to improve the ED technologies and medications today.