Erection Problems Linked to Gums

(Ivanhoe Newswire) –Men in their thirties who had inflamed gums are three times more likely to suffer from erection problems, according to a recent study.

Researchers compared 80 men from ages 30 to 40 (average age was 36) with erectile dysfunction with a control group of 82 men without erection problems. 

Fifty-three percent of men with erectile dysfunction had inflamed gums compared with twenty-three percent in the control group.  Once the results were adjusted for factors like income, education level, BMI, and age, men with severe periodontal disease were 3.29 times more likely to suffer from erection problems.

Chronic periodontitis (CP) is a cluster of infectious diseases caused by bacteria that is commonly associated with inflammation of the gums.  Studies have reported that CP can induce systemic vascular diseases (like coronary heart disease) that are linked with erection problems.

"To our knowledge, erectile dysfunction and CP in humans are caused by similar risk factors, such as ageing, smoking, diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease.  We therefore excluded men who had systemic disease and who were smokers from this study.  We particularly selected men aged between 30 and 40 to assess the impact of CP on erectile dysfunction without the results being influenced by the effects of ageing. The results of our study support the theory that CP is present more often in patients with erectile dysfunction than those without and should be considered as a factor by clinicians treating men with erection problems," lead study author, Dr. Faith Oguz from Inonu University in Malatya, Turkey, was quoted as saying.

SOURCE:  Journal of Sexual Medicine, December 2012

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