About this disease
What it concerns
Erectile dysfunction refers to an insufficient stiffness of the penis and/or limited duration of penile stiffness, it can have many different causes.
Types
Basically, there are organic and psychological causes. Common risk factors are smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity or elevated blood lipid levels. The four last-mentioned points can also be summarized under the term "metabolic syndrome". Complex disturbances of the hormonal and vascular situation, among others, can result in a decrease in potency. For the psychological causes, lifestyle factors such as stress or irregular sleep as well as relationship conflicts or fear of failure often play a role.
Symptoms and consequences
Erectile dysfunction is manifested by inadequate stiffness of the penis and/or limited duration of penile stiffness.
How can we help you
Examination and diagnosis
To determine the cause, each patient undergoes a basic diagnosis, which includes a detailed interview, a physical examination and laboratory tests (including testosterone). Depending on the findings, an extended diagnostic follows in selected cases, whereby ultrasound examination of the penile vessels (duplex sonography) should be mentioned here in particular.
Treatment
Medications from the group of PDE5 inhibitors are often used as therapy. In case of insufficient effect, erectile tissue injections, the vacuum pump and the implantation of a penile prosthesis are available as alternatives. In addition, a gentle and effective procedure has been developed in recent years in the form of shock wave therapy, in which blood flow to the vessels and thus potency can be increased in the long term in a few short outpatient treatments. In the case of a relevant testosterone deficiency, this is compensated.