Produced by | Sohu Health
Author | Zhou Yichuan
Edited by | Wu Shinan
Recently, the magazine Men's Science published a study pointing out that men who test positive for the new coronavirus have erectile dysfunction (imperfection) at 5 times the risk of developing erectile dysfunction (imperfection) is more likely to be a long-term complication caused by damage to the vascular endothelial.
Emmanuele Jannini, professor of endocrinology and sex medicine at the University of Rome, Italy, introduced that the infection of the new coronavirus may cause intravascular inflammation and microthrombosis. Some recovered patients have developed long-term heart sequelae, and even asymptomatic infections may have symptoms of microvascular damage. It can be seen that new coronary pneumonia is not only a lung disease, but also a vascular disease, which manifests as vascular endothelial dysfunction.
Erectile dysfunction is one of the prominent manifestations of vascular endothelial dysfunction. Previous studies have believed that it has a potential connection with COVID-19. In this study, Jannini collected erectile dysfunction data from 75 Italian patients with negative virus tests and 25 male patients with positive tests. The results showed that 9 people in both groups suffered from the disease, and the calculated incidence rate was 3 times different. Excluding other common erectile dysfunction factors such as age, weight, and psychological status, the risk of erectile dysfunction brought by new coronary pneumonia is equivalent to 5.27 times.
Jannini analyzed that a series of sequelae brought about by COVID-19 are related to damage to the vascular endothelial area. The endothelium of the vascular endothelium can release compounds that control vasoconstriction or dilation and regulate blood flow, and one of the most critical to erection is nitric oxide. The penis vascular endothelium needs to produce enough nitric oxide to dilate the blood vessels, and a large amount of blood flows into the penis to achieve an erection. However, vascular endothelial cells express many receptors that the new coronavirus invades the virus and are most susceptible to being attacked by the virus. If endothelial damage leads to a decrease in nitric oxide release, an erection will not be achieved.
At the same time, excessive blood vessel contraction may also lead to erectile dysfunction. Blood pressure increases after blood vessel contraction. Over time, vascular endothelial cells are affected by hypertension and and form blood clots. Changes in the immune status of the penis may also cause blood clots, affecting blood supply to the penis. Since the blood supply vessels on the penis are much thinner than cardiac blood vessels or other blood vessels, if blood vessels and are damaged, the penis is most likely to have symptoms, that is, it is impossible to get an erection.
Another possibility is that the virus directly attacks the testicles. Because testicular interstitial cells can express the virus-bound receptor ACE2, the testicles are also one of the infected damaged organs. After testicular injury, the coagulation state changes, resulting in penis ischemia; testicular injury can also lead to hypogonadism, impaired testosterone secretion, and affect erectile function.
Jannini said erectile dysfunction is likely to be a short-term or long-term complication of the new coronavirus infection. Men should strengthen their awareness of preventing COVID-19, including getting vaccinated, washing hands frequently, wearing masks, maintaining social distance, etc., to reduce the damage caused by the virus to the whole body, especially the damage of sexual function. A sudden erectile dysfunction or worsening symptoms in patients with positive viral infection may be a sign of severe disease progression and need to be strengthened for treatment.
patients with erectile dysfunction often have chronic diseases such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes , etc. These are also high-risk factors for the infection and aggravation of new coronavirus pneumonia. Therefore, this group of people should strengthen their awareness of preventing the new coronavirus, and special prevention of the disease should be prevented once the infection is infected.
