Essay on Association of NAAION to Erectile Dysfunction drugs

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Erectile dysfunction a man’s health problem that makes them unable to sustain an erection sufficiently to enable intercourse to occur, it is also associated with ejaculation problems and even impotence. The greatest challenge is usually the sustenance of erections for long enough. As much us erectile dysfunction is associated with age, it can still occur in young adults. Most victims are the less educated as they have a tendency to live unhealthy lifestyles, they eat unhealthy food, they exercise less and they take alcohol.

As much as it is a physical problem, it can also cause emotional stress to the patient. Its occurrence is four fold in men at the age of sixty compared to the men at forty. The physical problems associated with erectile dysfunction include: diabetes, hypertension, injuries from prostate surgery, side effects from HIV drugs and atherosclerosis. At all age groups treatment can be administered through: psychotherapy, vacuum devices, surgery and currently there is the use of drugs. The major cause of erectile dysfunction is the clogging of the blood vessels which may be as a result of nerve damage or diabetes (Beck, 1997).

Focusing on the use of Viagra to treat erectile dysfunction, first the Viagra should not be taken by a person taking nitrates, the nitrates are usually advocated for a person having chest pains, and the intake of Viagra with nitrates may result to a sudden lowering of blood pressure. Other side effects that can occur through the taking of erectile dysfunction drugs include: headache, stomach upset, hot flushes, nasal congestion, vision changes and back pain. Cialis, levitra, and Viagra work to help in erections. They are a group of drugs called phospodiesterase type 5. They assist in the dilation of blood vessels in the penis as a response to arousal (Deramo, 2003).

 NAAION is an abbreviation for non arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. It is a condition that comes unexpectedly and can result to loss of sight by the patient. It is triggered by the inadequate perfusion of the optic nerve head leading to infarction, swelling, compression and ischemia. NAAION is usually painless and does not have any warning signs. In America it occurs in 1500 to 6000 men every year out of which four develop a yellow eye. The risk factors of the disease can be divided into two categories: predisposing and precipitating risk factors. In the predisposing risk factors the person is susceptible to the disease but they do not necessarily contract it while in the precipitating category the risk factor s eventually lead to NAAION.NAAION usually occurs in the morning or a few hours after a person has woken up. It has been related to the dropping of blood pressure at night when the person is asleep (Behbehani, 2005).

Studies have shown that most of the erectile dysfunction drugs are taken in the night and the effect of NAAION occurs in the morning hence the relation of the disease to the drugs is confirmed. It is also a prediction that most patients are those that take the erectile dysfunction drugs and drugs for other heart problems. Most patients with vascular problems, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol issues are more susceptible to NAAION. It is difficult to state whether the NAAION took place because of taking the drugs or it has taken place due to the same reason the erectile dysfunction has occurred. The symptoms of NAAION occur and hour after the drug is taken and twenty four hours later the vision attack sets in (Pomeranz, 2005).

Science explains that the drugs help in modulation of the blood vessel diameter and hence altering the aerial blood perfusion to the optic nerve, the pressure drop to a critical point below the threshold point cannot be further regulated in response to the body for a person taking erectile dysfunction medication. The reduction of blood   circulation to the internal nerve fiber layer of the optic disc is believed to be the cause of ischemic optic nerve injury. The reported cases of NAAION are rare. Most men who develop this disease have small cap discs in the eye. According to Dr. Winterkorn the vascular and cardiac problem already exists in a patient with erectile dysfunction and this may be the reason why the loss of sight occurs (Bernstein, 2006).