Impotence risk in young smokers

Smoking is known to have adverse effects on men's sexual life. But it may raise the risk of impotence, particularly in younger men.Researchers from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota analysed more than 1,300 men. Men who smoked were at greater risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) than either former smokers or non-smokers. Smokers in the age group of 40, showed the highest smoking-related risk. Smokers were nearly three times more likely to have ED as compared to other men of the same age. Smoking was also linked to impotence among men in 50s and 60s, but not among those in their 70s.

Older men often have a number of other risk factors for impotence, including diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. In younger men, the association between smoking and impotence is less likely to be masked by other medical conditions. Smoking may have a more apparent impact on erectile dysfunction in young male smokers than it does in older male smokers. Previous studies have pointed to the impotence risk associated with smoking. Though the reasons aren't fully clear, it's thought that the effects of smoking on the blood vessels may impair blood flow to the penis, leading to problems with maintaining an erection.

Conditions, which impair blood circulation such as high blood pressure and heart disease, raise the risk of erectile dysfunction. Increasingly men diagnosed with ED are being referred for cardiovascular work-ups, since the condition could be a sign of underlying artery disease.
Recent findings support the idea that smoking is a direct cause of ED because the study found a dose-response relationship between the condition and men's smoking habits. This means that, the more men smoke, the greater is the risk of impotence.