Can high blood pressure cause erectile dysfunction

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a chronic health condition that can potentiate the risk of heart disease. An individual with this condition may remain asymptomatic.  

It is generally an asymptomatic disease, which requires a medical diagnosis. If it is not treated in time, it might potentiate the risk of other health conditions. This is why, it is termed a silent killer, which causes gradual damage.  

It can be an underlying condition, which can be indicated by erectile dysfunction symptoms. Erectile dysfunction or impotence is usually an early sign of high blood pressure or heart disease.  

What is high blood pressure?

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a chronic medical condition. It is characterized by a persistent and long-term force exerted by the blood flow on the inner walls of the blood vessels.  

Due to the persistent pressure on the delicate walls, the blood is pumped through the passages with more force than usual. The exertion of this force on the walls of the blood vessels contributes to their damage.  

Hypertension increases the risk to the heart, as it will have to push the blood through the arteries with greater force. This might potentiate the risk of heart failure.  

Apart from that, high blood pressure also increases the risk of several other health conditions such as atherosclerosis, kidney damage, and stroke. Hypertension is one of the major causes of premature death globally.  

Causes of high blood pressure

Blood pressure spikes can happen because of following reasons:

  • Obesity
  • Genetics
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Unhealthy diet
  • Lack of physical activity
  • Alcohol and smoking
  • Stress and anxiety

Symptoms of high blood pressure  

High blood pressure might not give indications. It might remain as an underlying condition for years. In most cases, it is known when the significant damage is already happened.  

When the blood pressure rises above 180/120 mm Hg, the individual might experience some symptoms such as intense headache, chest pain, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, anxiety, breathing problems, blurred vision, buzzing in the ears, increased heart rate, and nose bleeding.  

These all are common symptoms that one might tend to ignore. They are so common, but they may indicate hypertension.  

Erectile dysfunction and its causes

Erectile dysfunction is a common type of sexual disorder in males. This stems from a lack of blood flow through the penile blood vessels. The blood flow gets hindered because of the narrowing of the blood vessels of the penile.  

For a healthy erection function, adequate flow of blood through the penile blood vessels is essential. The individual will not be able to attain stronger erections. Their penile might remain flaccid despite complete sexual arousal.   

The reason for the narrowing of the blood vessels and lack of blood supply can be psychological or physiological. High blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disorders, etc. are the physiological factors that lead to impotence.  

Psychological factors like stress, anxiety, performance anxiety, depression, etc. Can interfere with arousal and cause erection difficulties.

Link between high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction

High blood pressure deteriorates the health of blood vessels. Their function gets impaired, and they fail to deliver blood to the body's organs.  

When the blood vessels of the penile get affected because of high blood pressure, they become narrow. Their constriction hinders the flow of blood inside the erectile muscles.  

Lack of blood flow affects the quality of erections. In this way, there will not be adequate blood to get trapped inside the arteries to promote firmer erections. Thus, impairment of the vascular function and restricted blood supply make it difficult for men to get and sustain erections.   

How to manage ED?

It is necessary to take blood pressure medications, which will reduce the risk of heart disease and also prevent erectile dysfunction symptoms from worsening any further. ED symptoms can be managed with ED pills like Filagra 100.

These pills contain a key ingredient, known as Sildenafil Citrate. It is a phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor compound, which has been categorized as per the pharmacological classification.  

The blockages in the arteries are formed due to the action of PDE5 enzymes that are released by the walls of arteries. PDE5 action affects the release of nitric oxide, a chemical that is responsible for maintaining the health of arteries. The pill effectively inhibits the PDE5 action and increases the levels of nitric oxide in the walls of the blood vessels. The increase in blood supply to the penile, which triggers stronger erections.