Erectile Dysfunction: The Need for a Scientific Approach to this Taboo Topic

Abstract

Erectile dysfunction is a problem that needs to be explored. This is an illness that has always been under discussed. Our study was carried in Mayo Hospital on 1252 patients. Out of these 434 (34.6%), were found to have some degree of erectile dysfunction. 114/434 (26.22%) did not seek medical advice. 192/434 (44.2%) went to quacks and 128/434 (29.4%) consulted doctors. 37.3 % of patients with erectile dysfunction had diabetes mellitus as concomitant disease. 12.4 % patients had hypertension while 6.9 % and 3.9 % patients had ischemic heart disease and tuberculosis respectively. These results emphasize the need that this disorder should be dealt scientifically. People and doctors should be made more aware of the recent advances in medical management of erectile dysfunction so that more people can seek a qualified medical advice and may benefit from the treatment. This article addresses the diagnosis of erectile dysfunction and identifies diagnostic tests that can be used by primary care physicians to determine the patients most at risk and the treatments most suited to meet the patients and their partners goal for therapy.