Impotence: A Red Flag for Heart Disease
(HealthDayNews, 9/26/04)

Dr. Andrew McCullough of New York University School of Medicine in NYC warns that erectile dysfunction (ED) may signal underlying cardiovascular problems. Earlier this year, Dr. Alan Bank of the St. Paul Heart Clinic in Minnesota also made this association when he reported that the arteries of men with ED did not expand as well as those of men without the condition. The link is a biochemical problem in the blood vessels: a reduction in nitric oxide, which the inner walls of the blood vessels normally release to trigger artery expansion. ED is a sign that there is not enough nitric oxide to properly expand the blood vessels—and, if this is occurring in the penis and its surrounding muscle, it is likely happening in other parts of the cardiovascular system as well.