Sexual Impotence
Erectile dysfunction or impotence is the repeated inability to get or keep an erection firm enough for a satisfying sexual relationship.
The word impotence may also be used to describe other problems that interfere with sexual intercourse and reproduction such as lack of sexual desire (see libido) and problems with ejaculation or orgasm. Using the term erectile dysfunction makes it clear that those other problems are not involved.
Erectile dysfunction (or ED) can be a total inability to achieve erection, an inconsistent ability to do so or a tendency to sustain only brief erections. These variations make defining ED and estimating its incidence.
Estimates range from 20 to 30 million cases, according to the definition used. According to the survey by National Ambulatory Medical Care (NAMCS, an acronym in English), for every 1,000 men in the U.S., there were 7.7 visits to the doctor by DE in 1985. In 1999 the rate had nearly tripled to 22.3.
The increment happened gradually, presumably as they were made more widely available treatments such as vacuum devices and injectable drugs and began to accept the discussion of erectile dysfunction.
Perhaps the most publicized advance was the introduction of the oral drug sildenafil citrate (Viagra) in March 1998. NAMCS data on new drugs show an estimated 2.6 million mentions of Viagra at physician office visits in 1999, and a third of those mentions occurred during visits for a diagnosis unrelated to ED.
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