A study conducted in Malaysia has been looking at the link between erectile dysfunction and heart problems and it is clear that men that have weak hearts have more problems sustaining a good sexual function than other men with good hearts. The researchers saw that about 1/3 of the men that had coronary artery problems also were suffering from severe erectile dysfunction and that 56.3% of the men had erectile dysfunction that ranged from mild to moderate. 

 The lead researcher and his team from the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur looked at 510 men who had coronary artery disease also known as called ischaemic heart disease. The men were aged between 36 years old and 92 years old. Dr Ramesh who led the research over 6 months said that overall the prevalence of mild to severe erectile dysfunction in men with this heart problem was over 90%.

It was noted also that the chances of getting erectile dysfunction or ischaemic heart disease (IHD) were similar if you also suffered from hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, stress or obesity and also that those people who smoked and did not exercise were also at risk.

The IHD condition hinders the flow of blood to the heart and with erectile dysfunction the supply of blood to the penile region is affected meaning that both conditions are related to insufficient blood flow. It was also noted that nearly 60% of those who were examined suffered from diabetes, almost 65% suffered from high blood pressure and almost 40% had high cholesterol levels.

The researchers also saw that the erectile dysfunction did not vary among races but that being diabetic and having high blood pressure were very relevant indicators. There was no shortage of volunteers for the research program as many people were eager to get to the root of their erection problem and to get some form of help. Some men had problems opening up and talking about their problem but once they started they tended to be very relieved and were keen to seek medications and other forms of therapy.