CAIRO: Don't be shocked by the numbers, but an estimated 189 million men worldwide suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED) and are seeking specialists' help, according to experts gathered in Cairo for the Fourth Middle East and North Africa ED Conference. In conservative societies the problem could be aggravated, for it's shameful for the majority of men to admit such a problem. Many newlywed men suffer from temporary lack of erection caused by fear of failure and other social pressures. Statistics show that one in ten men in the UK have difficulty getting an erection, but is the female partner partially responsible? The conference held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel from May 4-5 was organized by Eli Lilly Pharmaceutical Company for the purpose of exchanging expertise and comparing clinical data about Cialis, one of the company's ED drugs. An international gathering of 150 doctors, specialists and consultants in the fields of sexual impotence, urology and men's health from acclaimed universities in Greece, New York, California and Saudi Arabia attended the conference. Other studies have found that the likelihood of developing ED increases with age. A major US study established the link between a man's age and the incidence of ED. The study found that 11 percent of men with ED were aged 40-49, 18 percent were aged 50-59, 38 percent were aged 60-69, and 57 percent were 70 years old. The United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) adopted the term "erectile dysfunction, stating that it was a more specific definition than the term "impotence, which can also include other problems, such as those associated with libido, ejaculation or orgasm. It is now accepted that the majority of cases of erectile dysfunction (up to 80 percent) have a physical and not a psychogenic cause. Psychogenic erectile dysfunction is linked to performance anxiety, negative images of internal conflicts while physical causes include anatomic, neurogenic, endocrinologic, drug-related and vasculogenic complications. ED can also be a side-effect of cigarette smoking, chronic alcohol consumption, or the use of some prescription drugs, such as anti-hypertensives, anti-depressants, and anti-cancer drugs. Common psychological causes of ED include stress, anxiety and depression. So many people might not be aware of the fact that erection problems are the early symptoms of the narrowing of the arteries as well as diabetes - the incidence of sexual dysfunction in men with diabetes approaches 50 percent. Neurological disorders e.g. multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury, pelvic injury or surgery, alcoholism and drug abuse, heavy smoking, low testosterone levels in a small number of cases are also some of the causes of ED. Diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis in particular affect the normal flow of blood in and out of the penis. Dr Dimitris Hatzichristou, of Aristotle University in Greece, said: "Apart from promoting any kind of drug that reduces the effect of ED, today we're addressing the media in particular so that reporters would carry our message to the majority of the people. He added: "As doctors we might be looking into very few cases compared to many that virtually exist. And I have to own that in a big number of cases the treatment lies in a question of culture and education rather than medication. People need to learn how to react in such a situation. Fearing that the entire conference aims to promote the new drug, concerned journalists asked whether the new drug is meant to be a complete cure for the problem. "Cialis just provides temporary relief from a condition with lots of social dimensions. Its effect lasts for 36 hours and has been proven a cure only during honeymoon ED, remarked Dr Ira Sharlip, from the University of California. "People are bound to use such products even when they give a timely relief, said Dr Ridwan Shabsigh, from Maimonides Medical Center in New York in response to a The Daily Star Egypt's question if a dietary routine could be an alternative for any drug aimed to overcome ED. "The efficacy of herbal treatments and other natural remedies haven't been scientifically proven, he added. Elaborating on the medical aspects of ED, Shabsigh pointed out that, contrary to common belief that associates a sound sexual life with overeating, experts are warning that obesity is one of the major causes of ED. "A lot of fats accumulating, especially on the stomach, which finally form a 'belly' will secrete enzymes that will change the character of male hormones, turning them into female hormones. "ED is also linked with the metabolic syndrome, that's the inability of the system to control hypertension, sugar and cholesterol levels. Experts also revealed that whether or not they are partly responsible, wives suffer equally. The medical aspect could be the cause of ED but the tension increases in cases where the couple has frictions of several kind. "But I would like to note that honeymoon ED is psychological rather than physiological, said Shabsigh. "The man on the wedding night has to pass a kind of test. He's under a lot of social pressures from both his and his spouse's families.
