The discovery of Viagra and the subsequent research that has been done on erectile dysfunction and why it occurs has led to a much greater understanding of the medical condition. Practically everyone has heard of Viagra and many people know how it works now.

What has also been learnt in recent years is how erectile dysfunction is linked closely to a number of other serious illnesses like heart disease and high blood pressure. What doctors are realising now is that when a men has erectile dysfunction he should not necessarily be examining the mans penis but should be recommending that he gets a full check up on his heart, for high blood pressure and for hardening of the arteries.

A recent edition of the respected medical journal called the Lancet called for a further step saying that doctors must examine the sexual history of their patients who come in with heart problems or with erectile dysfunction as much can be diagnosed and inferred from knowing about sexual and erectile health over the years. It is commonly seen that men who are in good health rarely suffer from erectile dysfunction and that men who are overweight and who smoke are much more likely to suffer from it. Getting healthy and fit is a good way to confirm that you will keep good erectile function in old age and the chances are that if you have good erectile function in old age all of the rest of you is in good shape too.

Having erectile dysfunction doesn’t necessarily mean that you definitely have something else unhealthy with you but it is a possible indicator that you might. Some healthy older men suffer from erectile dysfunction despite being in general good health and some men may have younger sexual partners who want to have sex frequently and this is why they feel that they need Viagra, Cialis or Levitra to give them a helping hand in the bedroom.