NORMAL ERECTION IN MALES
Erectile dysfunction is a normal erection desired in men. The brain, spinal cord, nerves, blood vessels, smooth muscle tissue in the penis and hormones play a role in the occurrence of this event. For erection, 'arousal', which is the most important impulse, is required as a result of sight, thought, touch, smell, sound or a combination of these.
There is no bone or cartilage-like tissue inside the penis that enables erection. Instead, there are two cylindrical tubes that can harden when necessary and sit side by side within the penis tissue. An elastic capsule surrounds these tubes. As a result of the stimulation, the amount of blood coming to the tubes increases and as a result, the penis expands and grows in length. The veins that allow blood to move away from the penis are compressed by the capsule. Thus, blood is trapped in the penis. Continuing sexual stimulation ensures that this process and, as a result, the level of erection continues. Erection continues until ejaculation or sexual interest ends. Later, when the stimulation disappears or ejaculation, the mechanism described above is reversed and the penis becomes soft again.
WHAT IS THE ERECTION PROBLEM?
Erectile dysfunction is defined as the inability to reach the hardness level that can provide successful sexual contact or the inability to maintain this hardness level sufficiently. It is more common in men over the age of 40. It includes a wide spectrum ranging from occasional erection problems to completely lost erection problems. Most men experience problems with erection at some point in their lives, especially when they are under stress or have a serious illness. If this problem persists for a long time, medical help should be sought. The incidence and severity of erectile dysfunction increases with advancing age. Smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, high blood lipids, heart disease and some medications are known to be important risk factors for erectile dysfunction.
CAUSES OF ERECTION PROBLEMS
Erectile dysfunction often has more than one cause. The reasons may be psychological, physiological or a combination of both. Psychological and physical Distinguishing the causes from each other is important in terms of treatment selection. The causes of erectile dysfunction can be examined in 3 main groups:
1) Psychological reasons: Among the psychological reasons, depression and anxiety come first. In cases of stress, anxiety and anxiety, the mechanisms that provide erection in the penis are monitored normally, but the signals sent by the brain to the penis may be suppressed. Fear of failure is another important cause of erectile dysfunction. A person who is worried about his ability to achieve sexual contact becomes even more anxious if he cannot achieve successful sexual contact. Psychiatric diseases such as depression can also cause erectile dysfunction.
2) Physical causes:
• Vascular diseases. : The most common physical cause of erectile dysfunction is diseases related to the vessels of the penis. Vascular diseases affect the amount of blood that reaches the penis and causes erection. At the same time, the retention of blood in the penis and therefore the maintenance of erection may be affected. Hardening of the arteries and any disease affecting the vascular system is a serious risk factor for erectile dysfunction. Atherosclerosis narrows the arteries leading to the penis, reducing nutritious blood flow and is a serious problem, especially for men over the age of fifty. Smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and high blood fat levels are other important risk factors.
• Nervous system diseases: In this group of diseases, brain- The signaling system between the spinal cord and penile smooth muscle is blocked. Examples include spinal cord injuries, cerebrovascular diseases, multiple sclerosis and previous intra-abdominal surgeries. Some diseases, such as diabetes, affect both the vascular and nervous systems, causing erectile dysfunction.
• Medicines: Many drugs are used for high blood pressure, heart diseases and psychiatric diseases. Drug may be the cause of erectile dysfunction.
• Hormonal causes: The relationship between low levels of male hormone produced in the testicles and erectile dysfunction has not yet been clarified. Studies have shown that low hormone levels Erectile dysfunction does not always negatively affect erection, but it may reduce sexual desire.
• Other causes: Pelvic bone fractures or traffic accidents can also cause erection problems. As a result of an accident, the vessels that feed the penis and/or the nerves that stimulate the penis may be injured. Some surgical methods and radiation treatments also negatively affect erection. Surgical treatments, especially for prostate, bladder and rectum cancer, pose a serious risk for erectile dysfunction.
HOW IS ERECTION PROBLEM DIAGNOSED?
Erectile dysfunction can only be diagnosed after an examination by a doctor. Diagnosis is usually made with the information obtained from the patient and physical examination, but simple tests may also be requested to help make the diagnosis. The most important of these are penile color doppler ultrasound and some hormone tests.
Penile color doppler USG: With this detailed ultrasonography examination, the artery feeding the penis and the erection are very large. The currents of the venous system that contribute to the erection are measured.
Hormone tests: In order for normal erection to occur, some hormones in the body must be in balance. Erectile dysfunction is observed in men with hormone imbalance for various reasons. In order to reveal such conditions, detailed hormone examination must be performed before diagnosis.
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