Erectile dysfunction isn’t just about sex — it may be your body’s first warning

Few men realise that ED and heart disease often share the same underlying cause: poor vascular health.

Both ED and CVD are linked to endothelial dysfunction, where blood vessels fail to dilate properly due to low nitric oxide levels and chronic inflammation. Because the blood vessels in the penis are smaller than those supplying the heart, ED often appears several years before a heart attack or stroke.

In fact, ED can predict cardiovascular problems up to five years in advance.

And it gets even more interesting: treatment with PDE5 inhibitors such as tadalafil (Cialis) or sildenafil (Viagra) isn’t only about restoring erectile function — it may also reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and overall mortality.

A large long-term study of more than 500,000 men found that those treated with tadalafil had:
• 34% lower risk of all-cause mortality
• 27% lower risk of heart attack
• 34% lower risk of stroke

Erectile dysfunction is therefore not just a symptom it’s an opportunity to detect and prevent cardiovascular disease early.

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