Extensive studies have identified several factors that increase the risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack - for example, increasing age, male gender, high cholesterol, tobacco smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. Identifying risk factors and potential predictors of heart disease is an important component of preventative treatment. In this week's issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, scientists from the Chinese University of Hong Kong reported that erectile dysfunction (ED) is a predictor for coronary heart disease (CHD) in men with diabetes.

The scientists evaluated 2,306 middle-aged Chinese men with diabetes who had no clinical evidence of cardiovascular disease. Of these subjects, 26.7% had ED. The scientists found that the incidence of cardiovascular events was higher in men with ED than those without. Not surprisingly, men who developed CHD events were older, had a longer history of diabetes, and had higher cholesterol and blood pressure. However, even after adjusting for age, duration of diabetes, and the use of blood pressure medications, the researchers found that ED was still an independent predictor for CHD events.

A potential limitation of this study is that it included only Chinese men, and it's not known whether these findings would be consistent among men of all ethnicities. However, this study does suggest that it may be important to report symptoms of ED to your healthcare provider, as they may have an impact on your cardiovascular, as well as your sexual, health.