Impotence Causes | Diabetes
Impotence is a disorder found among diabetic patients. Research says that above forty five percent of diabetic patients are suffering from impotence. While comparing diabetic patients, impotence is most common among men than women. As the name suggests, impotence is a consistent inability to achieve and maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual activity. Chance of getting diabetic impotence increases with age and intensity of blood sugar level. Major cause for diabetic impotence is insufficient blood flow.
The causes of impotence in men with diabetes are complex and involve impairments in nerve, blood vessel, and muscle function. Usually blood circulation will not be uniform in all parts of the body. Especially in body extremities like male organ region, there will be low blood flow in case of diabetic patients.
It is found that diabetes will effect normal functioning of muscles, blood vessels and brain cells. In diabetic patients, muscles around penile artery constrict and block the flow of blood. Damaged blood vessels restrict production of nitric oxide chemical needed for proper blood flow to male organ. Unhealthy blood vessels and damage nerves prevent erection leading to impotence or erectile dysfunction. This disorder due to diabetic condition is reversible and can be well controlled by maintaining a diabetic diet. Patient with erectile dysfunction or impotence may sometimes show signs of depression.
When you have diabetes and impotence, your penis refuses to become hard or hard enough to perform the sex act. This happens because there is not enough surge of blood into your penis to sustain your erection. Diabetes affects transmission of brain commands about sex. The damaged nerves in your penis do not receive these messages. You are mentally ready for sex but your penis is not ready and that cause impotence. In diabetes with impotence, blood vessel damage leads to cardio vascular disease these vessels become narrow and hardened. Therefore, they are not able to pump enough blood into the penis to sustain erection.
Men with diabetes tend to develop erectile dysfunction 10 to 12 years earlier than men without diabetes. As men with diabetes age, erectile dysfunction becomes even more common. Above the age of 50, the likelihood of having difficulties with an erection occurs in approximately 50%-60% of men with diabetes.
To get an erection, men need healthy blood vessels, nerves, male hormones, and a desire to be sexually stimulated. Diabetes can damage the blood vessels and nerves that control erection. Therefore, even if you have normal amounts of male hormones and you have the desire to have sex, you still may not be able to achieve a firm erection.
Blood Sugar role
Your penis needs release of a chemical called nitric oxide to cause blood to swell the penis, enabling erection. Once the penis becomes fully hard, you need to prevent blood from draining out of your penis to sustain erection. You brain controls both these functions. The high blood sugar in diabetes, affects these brain controls preventing timely release of nitric oxide and retention of blood in your penis. This inhibits erections causing impotence.
