Erectile Dysfunction in Men with Chronic Diseases: The Treatment before Treatment, Pathophysiology and Novel Therapeutic Approaches

A special issue of Medicines (ISSN 2305-6320).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 16018

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
1. Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 M. Asias st, 115 27 Athens, Greece
2. 2nd Urological Department, Attikon Hospital, Medical School of Athens, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 1 Rimini st, 124 62 Athens, Greece
3. Androclinic, Andrological Institute, 4 Valaoritou str, 106 71 Athens, Greece
Interests: andrology; general urology (BPH, stones, urological cancers)

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a problem that affects millions of people worldwide. The causes can be either organic or psychogenic, with the first predominate being increasing age. Although the final step is erectile tissue dysfunction expressed as decreased relaxation, different underlying mechanisms exist (endothelial, connective tissue, or neurological dysfunction). The current treatments mainly focus on improving endothelial-induced vasodilation and, therefore, are a symptomatic rather than causative treatment. Since many chronic conditions can be the cause of ED with known or unknown pathophysiological mechanisms, treatment of the underlying condition can prevent or improve erectile dysfunction. Diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, hormonal and vitamin dysfunction (like hypogonadism, hyperthyroidism, vitamin D deficiency), renal deficiency, neurologic diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep disorders, chronic liver diseases, chronic periodontitis, autoimmune diseases, and even commonly used drug-induced side effects like antipsychotic and antidepressant medications are some of the chronic conditions that if treated can improve erectile function. Novel treatments that are considered curative, like low-intensity shock waves, PRP, and stem cells are also emerging as new players in ED.

The current issue is focusing on the pathophysiological mechanisms that link chronic diseases with ED and investigating possible novel treatments in the field of erectile dysfunction.

Dr. Vassilis Protogerou
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • erectile dysfunction
  • chronic diseases
  • diabetes mellitus
  • metabolic syndrome
  • autoimmune diseases
  • inflammatory bowel disease
  • neurologic diseases
  • chronic fatigue syndrome
  • antipsychotic and antidepressant medications
  • novel treatments

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

12 pages, 514 KiB  
Review
Neurogenic Erectile Dysfunction. Where Do We Stand?
by Charalampos Thomas and Charalampos Konstantinidis
Medicines 2021, 8(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines8010003 - 7 Jan 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 10092
Abstract
Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is the persistent inability to attain and maintain an erection sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual performance, causing tremendous effects on both patients and their partners. The pathophysiology of ED remains a labyrinth. The underlying mechanisms of ED may be vasculogenic, [...] Read more.
Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is the persistent inability to attain and maintain an erection sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual performance, causing tremendous effects on both patients and their partners. The pathophysiology of ED remains a labyrinth. The underlying mechanisms of ED may be vasculogenic, neurogenic, anatomical, hormonal, drug-induced and/or psychogenic. Neurogenic ED consists of a large cohort of ED, accounting for about 10% to 19% of all cases. Its diversity does not allow an in-depth clarification of all the underlying mechanisms nor a “one size fits all” therapeutical approach. In this review, we focus on neurogenic causes of ED, trying to elucidate the mechanisms that lie beneath it and how we manage these patients. Full article
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8 pages, 296 KiB  
Review
Erectile Dysfunction Treatment Using Stem Cells: A Review
by Vassilis Protogerou, Dimosthenis Chrysikos, Vasileios Karampelias, Ypatios Spanidis, Sara El Bisari and Theodoros Troupis
Medicines 2021, 8(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines8010002 - 6 Jan 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5347
Abstract
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a disorder that affects the quality of life and the sexual relations of more than half of the male population aged over 40 years. The prediction regarding the incidence of ED is devastating as it is expected that this [...] Read more.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a disorder that affects the quality of life and the sexual relations of more than half of the male population aged over 40 years. The prediction regarding the incidence of ED is devastating as it is expected that this disorder will affect more than 300 million men in the next five years. Several studies have suggested the use of stem cells for the treatment of ED and showed that this type of treatment is promising in terms of damaged tissue repair as well as of clinical efficacy; however, there are several gaps in the knowledge and evidence is lacking. In order to highlight a few of them in this review, we performed a research of the literature focusing on currently available clinical studies regarding the clinical efficacy of stem cell administration for the treatment of ED. We reviewed the methods of administration, the cell types used in the performed clinical trials and the safety and efficiency of such procedures. We conclude that there are rapidly expanding and promising results from the reported clinical studies indicating that stem cells could indeed be a potential treatment for patients with ED although more studies are necessary. Full article
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