What an erection problem?

When you become sexually aroused, hormones, nerves, muscles and blood vessels work together to create an erection. Nerve signals are sent from the brain to the penis and as a result of that blood flows to the muscles of penis. When the blood fills the penis and erection is achieved. After the erection the blood vessels to the penis close off so that the erection can be maintained.

This is the normal situation what should happen, but in case of an erection problem this will not happen. At some point in life many people may have difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection. It erection problems happen when you're not able to achieve and maintain an erection form enough to have sexual intercourse. For most men this problem may or, occasionally and it is not a very serious issue. But if this is a frequent happening that may mean that you have an erection problem and you need some help.

Erection problems are also known as erectile dysfunction, importance and sexual dysfunction.

Common causes

The causes of erection problems can be physical, psychological or a combination of the both.

Physical causes of erection problems are generally seen in case of older men. Such problems generally happen because of different diseases and disorders that affect the nerves and blood vessels which are necessary for erection.

Some of the common physical causes of erectile problems are-

• heart disease
• hardening of the arteries
• high blood pressure
• diabetes
• obesity
• high cholesterol
• Parkinson's disease
• multiple sclerosis
• Peyronie's disease
• certain medications, including diuretics, beta blockers, muscle relaxers, or antidepressants
• alcoholism or substance abuse
• long-term tobacco use
• trauma or injury to the spinal cord or genital region
• congenital genitalia problems
• liver or kidney disease
• treatment for prostate problems

There are some psychological causes of erection problems. These causes can affect men of any age. Some of the most common psychological causes of erection problems are-

• worry over not being able to achieve or maintain an erection
• prolonged emotional distress related to economic, professional, or social issues
• relationship conflicts
• depression

Erection problems in young men

Some young men also suffer from erection problems. Men who are 20 to 30 may also experience such problems. The present data shows that the number of such problem in young men are increasing. About 20% to 30% of men ages 17 to 40 experience problem in erection. In some cases the problem is moderate but in some other cases it can be severe. According to scientific studies done on such cases, erection problems in young men happen mostly because of their lifestyle and psychological reasons rather than a physical reasons. Young men who smoke, drink and do drugs are more likely to suffer from erection problems than older men. Some other young men suffer from erection problem because of anxiety.

Diagnosis of erection problems

Diagnosis of erection problems is very important so as to know and find the cause of erection problems. Some of the taste which are done for such diagnoses include-

• complete blood count (CBC)- this is a set of blood tests that counts the low red blood cell cells in your blood
• hormone profile-this test is necessary for finding out the levels of sex hormones (testosterone and prolactin)
• nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT)- this is a test for finding out the function of your erection during sleep
• duplex ultrasound- this test takes picture of the body's tissues using high-frequency sound waves
• urinalysis- it is a test for measuring protein and testosterone levels in the urine

References

1. Hard On Demand Erection
2. Erectile Dysfunction (ED)
3. Erectile Dysfunction