Male Impotence and its Common Types Article

Jun 10

Male Impotence and its Common Types

Male impotence could be of several types. The first one, arteriogenic impotence occurs when the arteries leading to the penis do not supply enough blood to develop an erection. This occurs because the arteries are narrowed or hardened. This is common in elderly patients and those with hypertension and diabetes. This can also occur even in young people who have experienced injury in the genital area. The injury can either be sudden or major as in a vehicular accident causing bone injury in the pelvic or pubic area; or gradual and low grade as in those bicycle riders who log several thousand miles a year because sustained friction in the scrotal area causes a clot-like substance to develop in the artery leading to the penis. This clot gradually grows until it ultimately blocks the vessels supplying blood to the penis.

Venogenic impotence occurs when the veins of the penis leak instead of trap blood. During full erection in a normal man, the veins close down almost completely and virtually no blood leaks out of the penis. When blood flows out of the penis, rigid erection is inhibited. Venogenic impotence may be primary, which means it was already present at birth; or secondary, where a man develops impotence after years of normal sexuality.

When the nerve supply to the penis is damaged, neurogenic impotence occurs. Messages from the brain must be properly relayed by the nerves in order to initiate and sustain an erection. When the nerves leading to the penis are damaged, mental stimulation may occur but erection will not. Nerve supply to the penis can be damaged in various ways. Back injuries especially those involving the vertebrae and spinal column can cause impotence. Pelvic and perineal trauma can also cause injury to nerves supplying the penis. Surgical procedures for medical conditions on the rectum, prostate, urethra, spine, retroperitoneum and urinary bladder may also cause impotence if there is incidental injury in the nerves to the penis. Also, disorders of the nervous system including multiple sclerosis, myelitis, tumour etc. have the tendency to cause impotence if they involve the nerve supply to the penis. Those who have diabetes mellitus are also wont to experience neurogenic impotence as the disease usually affects the nerves to the penis.

Endocronologic (or hormonal) impotence occurs when there is an imbalance or insufficiency of sex hormones in the blood. For example, testosterone level decreases by about 1% each year and will ultimately decrease sex drive in later years.

The cause of impotence could also be mixed, which means that there can be more than one factor leading to impotence.

When there is no organic or physical reason for the impotence, the problem is only in the mind and this is labeled as psychogenic impotence.