Jakarta: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a condition that is generally associated with older age. However, the inability to get or maintain an erection can also affect younger men or even teenagers.
A 2013 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that 26 percent of ED cases (about 1 in 4) occur in people age 40 and under. The study also noted that younger men seeking treatment were more likely to develop severe ED than men over the age of 40.
Causes of ED in young men
Apart from physiological (organic) causes, there are also psychological (psychogenic) causes. Some of these play a central role in the onset of ED.
1. Organic causes
Organic causes of ED can include any condition that affects the physiological ability to achieve or maintain an erection. In younger men, causes can be broadly categorized as involving hormones (endocrinological), involving the nervous system (neurological), or involving the blood vessels (ad vasculogenic). Drug side effects are also thought to directly affect hormone levels.
In men under the age of 40, smoking and drug use were consistently found to be major risk factors for the development of ED. Heavy alcohol use can also cause sexual dysfunction.
2. Psychogenic causes
Emotions and moods also play an important role in the ability to achieve an erection, as they relate to the nervous, hormonal, and circulatory systems. There are two aspects of an erection: a reflex erection, which is influenced by touch, and a psychogenic erection, which is influenced by emotions and erotic stimuli.
Some negative emotions and moods can reduce the ability to get or maintain an erection. Psychogenic causes of ED can affect men of all ages, but younger men may be more affected because they are often expected to be more “manly” and have “better sexual abilities”.
(FIR)
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