High Blood Pressure and Erectile Dysfunction

High blood pressure can be associated with erectile dysfunction, a condition that many men find embarrassing, but it is also one that can be caused due to narrowing of the blood vessels going to the penis. These blood vessels can be clogged with plaque that is a combination of cholesterol and lipids. This can also be a factor in other diseases including heart disease and vascular disease and some respiratory diseases can cause erectile dysfunction as an underlying condition with high blood pressure.

One of the things that having high blood pressure can do in relation to erectile dysfunction is to stop the arteries from allowing the penis to fill with blood or dilate, which is how an erection is formed. When the arteries fila to dilate an erection are not possible and the penis stays in a relaxed state.

Men that have high blood pressure and suffer from erectile dysfunction are often found to have low levels of testosterone. There are some types of medications that can be used even with high blood pressure to help form an erection.

Erectile dysfunction can also be one of the side effects from the high blood pressure medication that was prescribed. In this case it is possible for the physician to change the medication and prescribe one that will not have this effect on the body.