Erectile Dysfunction And Stem Cell Therapy

Stem Cell Therapies

Stem Cell Therapy

Erectile dysfunction is the inability of a man to get and keep an erection long enough for sexual intercourse. This is also known as impotence. Having an occasional difficulty getting erect for sexual intercourse shouldn’t call for serious concern, however, it doesn’t look good when this happens often for a long period of time. Erectile dysfunction is a big problem in the society and has led to the breakup of relationships, divorces, depression and depressive syndromes, low self-esteem, anxiety, and stress. It’s important to talk to your physician when you notice the occurrence of this condition. Erectile dysfunction can be caused by a lot of medical conditions. Some of these conditions include heart cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, congenital diseases, and side effects of medications. Psychology also does cause impotence sometimes, however, this doesn’t happen too often.

What Are The Symptoms Of Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction presents with the following symptoms;

  1. Difficulty getting an erection
  2. Reduced libido
  3. Problems maintaining an erection, especially when engaging in sexual activities.

Other problems associated with erectile dysfunction are

  1. Prolonged ejaculation
  2. Premature ejaculation
  3. Inability to achieve orgasm, even after sufficient and proper sexual stimulation.

It’s important to contact your physician, if you notice any of these symptoms, especially when they have persisted for more than 8 weeks or more. Your physician can make a diagnosis, and also determine what next step to take in treating and successfully eliminating the condition.

When Is It Important To Contact Your Physician?

  1. It’s necessary to contact your physician when you’ve noticed that you’re experiencing premature or delayed ejaculation, especially when it’s happening each time you engage in sexual intercourse.
  2. You should also go see a doctor when you notice some symptoms of erectile dysfunction and have some diseases that have a high risk of causing the condition. Some of the diseases that can predispose people to erectile dysfunction are diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases.

What Are The Causes Of Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction is a complicated medical that involves hormones, the mental state, nerve sensitivity, muscles and the blood vessels. This disease can be caused by any one of the above. In addition, stress and a terrible mental state could also lead to erectile dysfunction. Sometimes, the condition occurs as a result of a combination of physiological, physical and psychological problems. For example, an individual that just lost his job and his fire to a fire incident might go without an erection for a long time. This is due to the emotional break down that could come with his loss. Below are some of the causes of erectile dysfunction;

Physical Causes

  1. Cardiovascular diseases
  2. Blocked blood vessels
  3. Hypercholesterolemia
  4. Hypertension
  5. Diabetes mellitus
  6. Obesity and overweight
  7. Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease
  8. Smoking and the use of tobacco
  9. Excessive consumption of alcohol, especially for a long time.
  10. Sleep problems
  11. Surgical procedures that cause injuries to the spinal cord
  12. Trauma or accidents that affects a section of the spinal cord.
  13. Multiple sclerosis

Psychological Causes

The mental state goes a long way in affecting the sexual performance of men. It equally plays a huge role when a man experiences erectile dysfunction. Below are some psychological factors that play a role in the development of erectile dysfunction;

  1. Relationship issues: This can be due to a cheating partner, or some conflicts between couples. A partner that is not pleased or disgusted by his partner may not have the urge, thereby leading to the inability to maintain an erection.
  2. Stress: Stress and overworking one’s self is also a cause of erectile dysfunction. However, this can be reversed as soon as the patient removes the cause of the stress, and starts relaxing more.
  3. Depression: Depression is a condition in which an individual feels hopeless and empty. Some people are more predisposed to having depression than others. They like to isolate themselves from others. In severe cases, they might start having suicidal thoughts. People affected by this disease usually do have erectile dysfunction.

Does Age Affect The Development Of Erectile Dysfunction?

According to statistics, erectile dysfunction is more predominant in people that are above the age of 70. As an illustration, about 30% of men older than the age of 70 have this condition, while about 20% of men in their sixties have erectile dysfunction. About 12% of men below the age of sixty have the disease. This goes to show that, the older men become, the more the chances of having erectile dysfunction. Although men’s erection becomes weakened as they grow older, this doesn’t translate that they’d develop erectile dysfunction. Overall, the healthier a man is, the better his sexual function would be.

What Are The Ways Of Preventing Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction can be prevented by living a healthier lifestyle. Below are some of the ways to prevent erectile dysfunction

  1. There are some diseases that predispose men to have erectile dysfunction. Some of these diseases are diabetes mellitus, heart-related diseases. Working with your physician to eliminate these diseases is the first step towards preventing the development of erectile dysfunction.
  2. Lifestyle modifications: Changing and stopping habits such as smoking, and consuming less amount of alcohol goes a long way in preventing erectile dysfunction.
  3. Going for frequent medical checkups: It’s important to regularly go for medical screening, especially when you know you’re predisposed to having the condition.

How Is Erectile Dysfunction Currently Treated?

Physicians usually administer some medications for the treatment of this disease. Some of the drugs administered are Viagra, Tadalafil and so on. These drugs all contain nitric oxide. This chemical compound improves the blood flow to the penile arteries and boosts sexual performance.

Stem Cell Therapy And Erectile Dysfunction

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can self-regenerate and are capable of tissue repair. They also control the immune system. These cells can be extracted from the patient, or gotten from other sources through a safe and painless procedure. Stem cells can be injected into the penile muscles. They are capable of restoring the blood flow and repair the weakened muscle tissues.

References

DEMIR, T. (2006). Prevalence of erectile dysfunction in patients with metabolic syndrome. International Journal of Urology, 13(4), pp.385-388.

McMahon, C. (2014). Erectile dysfunction. Internal Medicine Journal, 44(1), pp.18-26.

Orabi, H. and Lue, T. (2011). 1127 HUMAN ADIPOSE TISSUE-DERIVED STEM CELLS DIFFERENTIATED INTO SMOOTH MUSCLE AND ENDOTHELIAL CELLS FOR TREATMENT OF ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION. The Journal of Urology, 185(4), p.e453.

Seftel, A. (2017). Re: Combination of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Injection with Icariin for the Treatment of Diabetes-Associated Erectile Dysfunction. The Journal of Urology, 198(2), p.238.