Many studies done in people with hypertension have shown an increased tendency among them to have erectile dysfunction.
Jackson was not just a patient, he had become a friend. He called and sent me messages anytime to update me on the progress he was making.
He had come to the Sexology Clinic because his erections had failed.
“My marriage is not doing well,” he said the last time we talked. “The erections have now totally failed.” The next call from his phone number would be one of the most depressing moments I have had this year. It was his son.
“I just wanted to let you know that my dad passed on this morning,” came the shaky voice amid wails in the background. “His sugars became uncontrollable, he went into a coma, and they failed to resuscitate him.”
Jackson was 55 years old. He was a father of three, married to Jessica, a 50-year-old teacher. Jackson ran a chain of businesses – a retail shop, a transport business, and a guest house.
“You may have to slow down with all these businesses for the sake of your health,” I told him in our first meeting when I found his pressure was high. He was sleep-deprived, sleeping for about three hours a night.
“The adage in business is that you sleep at your own risk,” he said, his gaze fixed on the horizon. “Either your competitors are taking away your customers, your staff are stealing from you, or a supplier is threatening to take you to court for non-payment of bills. You just have to stay awake.”
After a full examination and lab tests, I diagnosed Jackson with erectile dysfunction secondary to hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. It was the first time he was getting to know about these multiple chronic health problems.
“You know, I came to see you because my wife is unhappy, but now you are saying that the erection problem is not the main issue,” he said, worry painted all over his face. “Is mine a common problem? Do you see many patients with it?”
Well, many studies done in people with hypertension have shown an increased tendency among them to have erectile dysfunction.
This risk increases with age so that at ages over 50, as high as 60 per cent of hypertensives may have erection problems. While the disease itself poses risk, its treatment may, by itself, cause erection failure. This is because some medicines used in hypertension knock off the erections.
The situation is not any different for diabetics. Depending on how well the sugar control is, 35 to 70 per cent of diabetics are likely to suffer erection problems at one point or another. This risk also increases with age.
The triad of hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol is a danger. The co-existence of these diseases causes serious damage to the blood vessels of major organs of the body. Blood vessels of the penis are affected early in the disease, making erection failure a common early outcome. As such, erection problems have become an early warning for multi-organ problems caused by these diseases. After the erections fail, it is a matter of time before the heart and kidneys get problems. The risk of stroke is also there.
“Now you are scaring me,” Jackson interjected. “You sound like it is the end of the road for me.”
Fortunately, the downward trend with these diseases can be arrested through lifestyle change, exercise, diet and medications. I therefore involved a team of professionals, including a physician, nutritionist and life coach to work with me in supporting Jackson. He was compliant with treatment for a few months, then fell back because of the pressures of his business. He could not keep medical appointments, sometimes ran out of drugs for days before getting a prescription, and continued his hectic lifestyle, sleeping for three hours a day.
It had been three years of engagement before the fateful call from his son. I was shocked at the eventual turn of events. To have closure, I called the doctor who was treating him at the time of his death.
“He had missed his diabetes medicine for a week,” the doctor said. “His sugars were so high, the glucometer could not record them; he was already in a coma.”
Tests done at the time of death also showed that his kidneys were already compromised, a common occurrence in uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.
These diseases really do not have to be a death sentence; they can be managed and people do live normal lives with them.
All that is needed is lifestyle change and compliance with exercise, diet, and medicine prescriptions.
The early warning of erectile dysfunction should be taken positively as nature's warning to act quickly and used as an entry to care for these problems.
In fact, compliance with treatment often results in improved erections and is a sign that other organs at risk are also getting preserved from further damage.
