According to researchers, 90% of all causes of Erectile Dysfunction are due to physical or organic factors whereas 10% of them are due to psychological factors. Erectile Dysfunction or Impotence can either start abruptly after a major psychological trauma or gradually as a result of depression, anxiety and chronic stress.

Impotence can take place due to other mental disorders. It could also be due to lack of compatibility with the sexual partner, temporary decrease in libido, tiredness, anxiety. Described below are the five most probable causes of Erectile Dysfunction.

1) Structural Damage to the Penis
Structural damage to the penis may be due to Fibrosis of the penis tissues, caused by scarring or organic diseases, Peyronie’s disease (which lead to an abnormal curving of the penis), the painful retraction of the foreskin of the penis or genital herpes.

2) Peripheral Vascular Disease

This is the most common cause of Erectile Dysfunction. It is the failure to supply adequate blood to the penis resulting in less rigid erections or the inability to maintain them. Erection occurs when blood carried by the supply arteries of the penis, fills the erectile bodies made of spongeous tissue.

This is correlated with many systematic diseases which affect the blood vessels of the genital region, directly or indirectly. Chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, renal failure, heart disease, and others, lead to the destruction of the contractile walls of the veins or provoke hardening, narrowing or blockages of the arteries leading to the penis.

3) Substance Abuse
Another major cause of impotence is substance abuse due to chronic abuse or high dosages of Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana (cannabis), cocaine and other recreational drugs. More than 80% or chronic alcoholics suffer from chronic impotence. Scientific studies have also shown that heavy smokers have important damage to their genital blood supply.

4) Neurological Damage: Disorders of the nervous system
Impotence is caused by Nervous diseases or damage to the nerves which control the erection process. Some nervous diseases like Parkinson’s disease and other diseases of the motor system, stroke, multiple sclerosis, neurosyphilis, hypothalamo-hypophysiary disease, some tumors of the brain and of the pituitary gland, and epilepsy affect potency. These diseases affect the brain structures which are responsible for the central control of sexual drive and performance.

5) Hormonal Disorders
About 5% to 10 % of men suffer from some kind of hormonal disorder. The most common, which is related with aging, is a constant decrease in the levels of testosterone, the main sexual hormone of man. It is due to a decrease in the capacity of the testicular cells to synthesize testosterone. Decrease in testosterone leads to decrease in sexual libido and performance because the brain circuits and the penis tissues are dependent on this hormone’s levels.

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