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Male erectile dysfunction addressed at UTMB conference
APRIL 23, 2005
GALVESTON — An embarrassing secret that men seldom share,
even with their best friends.
Erectile dysfunction, coupled with a disabling heart disease and
depression, cost Galveston resident Lonnie Burgett his 30-year marriage
and almost his life two years ago, when he contemplated suicide.
The inability to achieve or maintain an erection is common among
men 50 or older. Among those with heart disease, it is epidemic.
According to the experts who will be holding the first national
conference on "Sex and the Heart" this weekend in Galveston,
Burgett, 58, is one of the estimated 90 percent of heart patients
who have or will develop ED and whose lives are disrupted by the
condition.
"Every time I couldn't perform, I felt totally humiliated
and emasculated," said Burgett, a former corporate executive
who will speak at the conference.
He said a new emphasis on the problem, and plans for a special
program for treatment at Galveston's University of Texas Medical
Branch, tender hope to him and other men who suffer from ED because
of heart and other vascular problems.
subhed
Burgett's cardiologist is UTMB Dr. Ernest Schwarz, who structured
the conference and with other physicians is creating a team to treat
the disorder.
"The good news is that most people with erectile dysfunction can be successfully treated," Schwarz said. "The bad news
is that it takes time and a lot of effort on the part of patients
and physicians."
Burgett said Schwarz's treatment in the past year has made his
heart stronger and that he hopes he would be able to overcome sexual
problems caused by a severe heart attack in 1987.
Schwarz has made a believer of Garrett Harvey, 52, a Galveston
resident whose enlarged heart is thought to have resulted from a
viral attack in 1996.
Harvey said he has risen above his fears of ending up in an emergency
room, or even dead, because of sexual activity.
"Life can go on, but you have to do things in moderation,"
said Harvey, for whom Schwarz has prescribed Viagra to enable him
to have sex. "You can still do 90 percent of the things you
were doing before you found out you had heart disease."
He stresses the importance of communication.
"The major thing is that men are afraid to talk to the doctor
about it," Harvey said. "It's that ego thing, that men
are not supposed to have that problem."
To encourage physicians routinely ask male patients about sexual
function is a major goal of this weekend's conference, Schwarz said.
"The number of patients who mention this problem during their
first visit is almost zero," he said. "We physicians have
to be the ones who raise this subject.”
New research to be presented at the "Sex and the Heart"
conference shows the importance of early discussion, doctors say.
subhed
According to Kevin Billups of Minnesota, Erectile dysfunction,
which often involves poor blood circulation in the pelvic area,
is an indicator of future blockages in other parts of the body,
especially heart arteries.
"Most people think about men developing (ED) after they've
had a heart attack or stroke, or when they develop significant diabetes
or hypertension," said Billups, who will address the conference.
He said his patients report developing erectile problems an average
of three years before suffering heart attacks or other medical problems.
Early reporting and treatment of ED could help physicians delay
the onset of other circulatory problems, Billups said.
About 20 percent of heart patients can regain sexual function through
heart-strengthening drugs or use of specially designed, pacemaker-style
devices, Schwarz said.
He added that some blood pressure medicines and other drugs interfere
with sexual function and can be changed or added to, enabling patients
to resume sexual activity.
And, although many primary care physicians hesitate to prescribe
Viagra, Cialis and Levitra for cardiac patients because of fear
of complications, Schwarz said many men with cardiovascular problems
can safely use the drugs.
More people die from heart attacks while running or swimming each
year than while having sex, he said.
"We're confident that we can successfully treat up to 90 percent
of patients with erectile dysfunction and give them at least some
improvement in the symptoms," Schwarz said.
In addition to research about male sexual problems, conference
participants will hear the latest information about female sexual
dysfunction from California researcher Dr. Jennifer Berman, Schwarz
said.
Berman and her sister, Laura Berman, a psychologist and sex therapist,
have a Discover Health Channel television program through which
they advice on a wide range of women's sexual issues.
source:- http://www.chron.com
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