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Causes of ED

Erectile dysfunction (ED) can happen at any age. Often, it is the result of another health problem. Heart disease and high blood pressure are two issues that can affect your blood flow — and lead to ED. But there are many other health problems that can affect the flow of blood to the penis.

See below to learn how these health problems can affect blood flow. Please keep in mind, ED is a treatable medical condition.

CAVERJECT is used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) due to neurogenic, vasculogenic, psychogenic, or mixed etiology.

Click on one of the causes for more information

Heart Disease

For a person with heart disease, blood does not flow as easily as it should throughout the body. That’s because the arteries are clogged or are too narrow. This may prevent blood from getting to the penis. The result can be less rigid (firm) erections.

High Cholesterol

High blood cholesterol can clog your blood vessels. This can affect your sexual health.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure makes the heart work harder. This can strain the blood vessels. The blood vessels may harden and narrow. As a result, it may be difficult to get an erection.

Diabetes

It is a disease where there is too much glucose (sugar) in the blood. Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage nerves and blood vessels like those that produce erections. When this happens, diabetes can lead to ED.

  • Up to 75% of men with diabetes will have some degree of ED during their lives

Prostate Problems

The prostate is a small gland near your bladder. It slowly grows larger with age. An enlarged prostate can lead to problems. Certain treatments for prostate problems and prostate cancer can lead to ED.

  • 50% of men aged 75 years have symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)
  • 70% of men with symptoms of BPH also have ED

Depression

The cause of ED in men with depression may be emotional, physical, or both. ED can lower self-esteem and put a strain on your relationships. Also, certain medicines that treat depression can cause ED.

Spinal Injuries

An injury to the spine may affect many body functions. And ED is the most common sexual problem.

Certain Medicines

ED can be a side effect of a wide range of medicines. Some of the most common are:

  • Certain alpha blockers
    • Used to help lower blood pressure or treat an enlarged prostate
  • Some heart condition medicines
    • May include: nitroglycerin, isosorbide mononitrate, and isosorbide dinitrate
  • Some cancer medicines
  • Certain antidepressants for depression
  • Tranquilizers
  • Sleeping aids
  • Anticoagulants (also known as blood thinners)
  • Antihistamines
  • Appetite suppressants

Stress

Stress and anxiety may affect a man’s ability to get an erection. However, these are often not the main cause of ED.

When emotional or physical problems interfere with sexual feelings, the result may cause erection difficulty. Which means, men become more anxious about sex. This can increase the severity of ED.

Smoking

Smoking can cause damage to blood vessels, which can prevent blood flow to the penis. For men with other ED risk factors, smoking doubles their chances of having ED.



If you think you have ED and it may be the result of another health problem, talk to your healthcare provider. ED is a treatable medical condition.

Once your health is assessed, your healthcare provider can tell you what treatment may be right for you.

It is estimated that every year there will be over 600,000 new cases of ED in the US.


CAVERJECT is used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) due to neurogenic, vasculogenic, psychogenic, or mixed etiology.


Important Safety Information

CAVERJECT should not be used in men hypersensitive to alprostadil, men with conditions that may predispose them to priapism (such as sickle cell anemia or trait, multiple myeloma or leukemia), men with anatomical deformities of the penis (such as angulation, cavernosal fibrosis or Peyronie’s disease), men with penile implants, or men for whom sexual activity is inadvisable or is contraindicated.

CAVERJECT should not be used in women, children or newborns.

Patients should be instructed to immediately report to his physician any erection lasting 4 hours or longer. If unavailable, patient must seek immediate medical assistance.

CAVERJECT can cause penile fibrosis or Peyronie’s disease.

Use of Caverject in patients who take anticoagulants, such as warfarin or heparin, should be with precaution as they may have increased tendency for bleeding after Caverject injections.

The most common side effect of CAVERJECT® (alprostadil for injection) was penile pain, reported by 37% of patients in clinical studies. Other side effects were prolonged erection, penile fibrosis and injection site hematoma. To lower the risk of prolonged erections or priapism, Caverject should be titrated slowly to the lowest effective dose.

For Full Prescribing Information for CAVERJECT®, including Instructions for Use, please click here.