Progress in Erectile Dysfunction and Hormone Function

Summary: If your dick don't work try Viagra

Interestingness: 1

Paper by Pejman Cohan and Stanley G Korenman in the Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine, Volume 3, Issue 2, June 2000.

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Lots of overlap between this paper and the previous two. It describes the mechanism of how an erection comes to be and all the stages at which it can stop working, the non-effectiveness of testosterone in solving the issue, even though it helps with libido (something that the previous paper had some doubts over), and then lists possible solutions with Viagra at the top of the list, supposedly working 50-70% of the time.

Some interesting random numbers from the rest:

• Testosterone drops 110 ng/dL every decade.
• 15% of people over 80 had normal levels of testosterone in a study of 300.
• In the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, which google tells me was on 1290 men, a quarter of the 40-70 year olds had a moderate degree of erectile dysfunction (ED). Not sure what a moderate amount is though

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Abstract follows:

The concept of "andropause" has recently gained popularity as increasing evidence suggests that aging in men is accompanied by a progressive decline in serum testosterone levels. The pathophysiologic mechanism responsible for this decline is not fully understood. However, perturbations at every level of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal system have been demonstrated. Age is also a strong risk factor for erectile dysfunction (ED). Although it is tempting to conclude that a causal relationship exists between declining androgen levels and ED, our current understanding of the erectile process and the failure of testosterone supplementation to restore erectile function in older men suggest that these processes are independent. Furthermore, the recent availability of effective oral therapies for ED argues against the indiscriminate administration of androgens to elderly men with ED. However, the beneficial effects of testosterone on libido, mood, bone density, and body fat composition may justify its use on an individual patient basis.