Different Types of Erectile Dysfunction
Not all impotence is the same, with multiple types noted:
Arteriogenic: Where the arteries supplying blood to the penis do not bring in enough blood to cause an erection. There are some patients who are susceptible to narrowing of the arteries, including the elderly, diabetics and people with high blood pressure, although some patients suffering from an injury to the genital area may also suffer from blocked arteries leading to the penis. The latter description is more frequent among younger patients. Injuries that can cause problems may stem from major incidents, such as fracture of the pelvis or pubic bone, or stem from minor injuries, such as bicycle riding that may crease a clot, or thrombus, within the artery leading to the penis. The clot can continue to grow until it completely blocks blood flow going to and from the penis.
Today, it has been established that erectile dysfunction (ED) is a marker, a warning sign, for future cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes. When disease within smaller arteries like the penis is discovered before they affect the larger arteries such as the heart or brain, treatment can be administered more easily. This makes a very strong case for the early diagnosis and management of ED, and this, in turn, will allow the early detection of diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high lipids, etc..
In a case study, College student S.V.S., 23, became totally impotent following a vehicular accident in which he sustained a fracture of the pelvis and a rupture of the urethra. The patient was hospitalized for almost a month after a surgical operation. The patient reported that his sex life with his fiance was completely normal prior to the accident. When he went back to the doctors who treated the primary problem, he was told that his was a purely psychological problem and that everything would be all right in a couple of months. A year later, there was still no improvement and he wanted to break his engagement. It was only after reading a magazine article that prompted him to visit an andrologist. A phalloarteriogram study showed that the main artery to the penis was blocked. The patient underwent a penile revascularization procedure using microsurgery and was cured. You can consider cialis without prescription
Arteriogenic impotence resulting from injuries is very common but often unsuspected because of ignorance of the causative conditions. It's common for patients to be wrongfully admitted to orthopedic or urology wards in an attempt to treat problems. The impotence is often discovered much later, after the more obvious wounds and fractures have healed. In these cases, it's the patient who learns of the impotence issues, not the doctor.
Venogenic: This form of impotence occurs when blood leaks from the penis, which prevents a fully hard erection from forming. In an unaffected male with an erection the veins will shut off blood flow almost totally so that no blood can escape back out of the penis. This allows blood to accumulate in the sinusoids of the penis, thus raising pressure and allowing for the development of rigidity or hardness.
Venogenic erectile dysfunction is very common. It's believed that somewhere between 30 and 70% of all impotence problems may stem from this condition. Some men have venogenic impotence from birth (primary). These men have most likely never attained a hard erection in their lives. Yet there are some men who may develop secondary venogenic impotence suddenly later in life.
Neurogenic: The nerve pathways leading to the penis are extremely complex. In order to maintain an erection, the correct conduction of nervous impulses is required along those nerves. It is these nerves that activate the arteries and the veins and alter the dynamics of blood flow within them.
Many things can go wrong with the nerve supply to the penis. Injuries involving the spinal cord or vertebral column are also known to cause impotence.
Injury to other nerves that supply the penis can also affect erection quality, including pelvic or perineal trauma. A wide variety of operations performed for other conditions can cause incidental injury to the nerves of the penis and cause impotence. These include procedures on the rectum, prostate, urethra, spine, retroperitoneum, urinary bladder and others.
Of course, disorders of the nervous system such as multiple sclerosis, myelitis, tumour etc. are wont to cause impotence if they involve the nerve supply to the penis. Check out Generic Viagra Reviews.
Diabetes mellitus is another disease that can have a negative effect on the nerves of the penis. Impotence is extremely common among diabetics. It's believed that up to 50% of diabetics suffer from impotence. However, diabetic impotence is nearly always caused by organic reasons. The usual therapy given to diabetics to treat their diabetes won't restore the damaged erectile function as the actual diabetes can't be reversed. With most diabetics, only their blood sugar levels are treated, along with some other complications. Modern andrology, however, can offer a cure to nearly all patients with diabetes-related impotence. Once again, this is largely an unknown fact. There simply aren't many diabetologists that will work on treating erectile dysfunction as part of their treatements.
Some drugs are also capable of damaging the nerve endings, which can cause neurogenic impotence. Among the most predominant of these are anti-hypertensives used to treat high blood pressure and psychotropics. Yet the number of drugs in this category is extensive. Most doctors will remain completely oblivious to the fact that the drugs being prescribed to treat various ailments could be the culprit for causing impotence as a side effect.
Endocrinologic: Impotence can occur in men who have a hormonal imbalance or otherwise insufficient sex hormones flowing through the blood. It accounts for about 5 to 10 per cent of all organic impotence. Usually, changes in hormonal levels can affect the sex drive instead of the hardness of an erection. There are many diseases that may cause changes in hormonal levels.
Mixed: In some patients, there may be multiple factors at work causing impotence. Systemic disease is usually the common denominator with these patients. Notable examples are diabetes, kidney failure and liver failure.
Another section of patients with mixed factors for impotence is where the erectile dysfunction itself may lead to other ailments and disorders, such as depression. Here, the basic causative factor is organic but being unrecognised and untreated (or maltreated) it eventually takes its toll on the mind, often because the patient thinks or has been led to believe that the condition is incurable and that it's all in his mind.
Psychogenic: Psychogenic impotence is a diagnosis only made after no organic causes can be identified and the problem really does stem from within the mind. But before such hasty labeling it is necessary to prove by andrological investigation that no organic or bodily cause exists.
When this has been done, correct treatment can be applied to address the problem.
