Although pre-existing health conditions may be to blame, erectile dysfunction in younger men is most often the result of psychological problems, according to experts.
Erectile dysfunction, ED for short, is the inability to attain or maintain a penile erection. In order for the penis to maintain an erection, it must stimulated by nerve signals that prompt the blood vessels in the penis to expand so blood can fill it. If the blood vessels are not fully compressed, an erection may not be obtained or may not last long.
Recent statistics show that 18 million men in the U.S. have erectile dysfunction. Sexual dysfunction in men increases with age, with the majority of men experiencing this disorder over the age of 65, according to a recent study by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Erectile dysfunction in men under 40 is very rare, particularly when there are no preexisting health issues, according to Dr. Jeffrey K. Cohen, a urologist for the Triangle Urology Group in Pittsburgh, Pa
"The largest cause in this group is psychogenic," said Cohen. "The other is vascular complications resulting from diabetes. We don't see much of vascular diseases so more of the cases are a result of what is between the ears. You don't see a lot of erectile dysfunction in men under the age of 40. It's more a matter of perception of how they are functioning. They still want to be 16, and that's just not possible."
Psychological factors that can affect this age group include:
Performance Anxiety,Unrecognized homosexuality,Death in the family,Death of a spouse,Child being ill,Financial problems
Dr. Tony Sliwinski, a urologist at the Virginia Urology Center, agrees that it¡¯s all in the head with younger men.
"I'd say this is true in at least 10 to 25 percent of all men in their 30s and somewhat less in men in their 20s who experience ED," he said.
He added that roughly 75 percent of all men who have diabetes have ED, according to figures from the Men's Sexual Health Collection in 2006.
"Erectile dysfunction is a prevalent disease estimated to affect half of all men aged 40-70," said Sliwinski. "In the younger men, prevalence data is not well studied, but it easily is approaching the same numbers as a 40-year-old."
Sliwinski said that the following are some other possible causes of ED:
Smoking: Smokers are 1.5 times more likely to have ED than nonsmokers, according to a 2006 study published in the Journal of Urology.
Depression and ED are also commonly correlated. The Massachusetts Male Aging Study demonstrated a 1.8-times greater prevalence of ED in depressed patients. Erectile dysfunction is known to exacerbate depression, and the successful treatment of ED improves depression in multiple studies.
