Erectile Dysfunction Discussed

An innovative drug-delivery system nanoparticles encapsulating nitric oxide or prescription drugs shows promise for topical treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED), according to a new study by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

The new system, tested successfully on a small number of animals, could potentially prevent side effects associated with oral ED medications, if study results can be replicated in humans. That could mean safer and more effective ED therapy for millions of men with heart disease and other health problems affecting erectile function. The study is published today in the online edition of the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

Tens of millions of men worldwide have benefited from oral ED medications such as sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra), and tadalafil (Cialis). However, these medications which belong to a class of drugs called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors have limitations. They can cause systemic side effects that can be serious. These side effects include headache, facial flushing, nasal congestion, upset stomach, abnormal vision as well as isolated reports of hearing and vision loss. Men who've recently suffered a heart attack or stroke or have severe heart disease should use these drugs with caution or not at all. In addition, "an estimated 30 to 50 percent of men with ED do not respond to oral use of PDE5 inhibitors," says senior author Kelvin P. Davies, Ph.D., associate professor of urology at Einstein.

A new review of existing research suggests that group therapy can help men with erectile dysfunction even if they are already using popular drugs like Viagra. Group therapy could even be a feasible alternative to some treatments for impotence.

While the number of men studied overall was small, the reviewers found that group therapy appeared to be about as successful as suction devices and injections in terms of promoting erections. One analysis showed therapy worked for nearly two-thirds of participants.

The findings spotlight the importance of "integrating sex therapy and other psychological techniques into office practice" to help impotent patients, said lead author Tamara Melnik, professor of psychiatry at the University of São Paulo in Brazil.

The review appears in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. Systematic reviews draw evidence-based conclusions about medical practice after considering both the content and quality of existing medical trials on a topic.

Before the days of Viagra and its sibling drugs, many considered erectile dysfunction to be a difficult-to-treat psychological disorder. Now, drugs allow millions of men to achieve normal erections by allowing blood to flow more freely to the penis; the more serious side effects are rare.