Not all hypertension medicines cause erectile dysfunction – Kwame Sarpong Asiedu

A Fellow in Public Health at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Kwame Sarpong Asiedu, has explained that not all but some hypertension medicines can cause erectile problems when they reduce blood flow to the penile area. Speaking on the Joy FM Super Morning Show on Thursday, September 10, during a discussion on hypertension and its effects on men, he clarified that although erectile dysfunction can be a side effect of some blood pressure medicines, it is wrong to assume that every person taking hypertension medication will experience the problem. Explaining the link between chronic disease and erectile dysfunction, Mr Asiedu said the condition can often be connected to problems with blood circulation. “Let me explain what erectile dysfunction is. It normally is a result of poor circulation into the penile area. That’s a major thing,” he said.

He added that diabetes could also affect sexual function through nerve damage. “Or other things with people with diabetes are a lack of sensitivity in the penile area because of nerve damage and other things. Those are the two major things,” he said. Mr Asiedu acknowledged that some blood pressure medicines can contribute to erectile dysfunction, but said that this does not apply to all hypertension medication. He explained that blood pressure is influenced by two main components: cardiac output, which refers to how much blood the heart pumps, and peripheral resistance, which refers to the resistance the blood encounters as it moves through the blood vessels. “If you look at blood pressure in a human being, there are two components. There’s what we call the cardiac output. That is how the heart pumps the blood out,” he said. “And the peripheral resistance, that’s how your veins and arteries block. You look at it…