Why has the medical community not found the real reasons for ED?

Question

I am now 80 years young. Other than atrial fibrillation occasionally., I am without any of the many listed "conditions" that are labeled as causes of ED. My afib is managed by meds, none of which are known to contribute to ED. 

Historically,  I think my onset to Ed began in my late 50's. Barely noticed. By about age 65 it became a concern. By age 70 it became a problem. And now it is much more problem at 80.  I am otherwise healthy. 182 lbs and 6'3 inches. I exercise for fun. I work all day. I am a pilot and mechanic and maintain 5 airplanes.

My lady and I  to have sex a few times a month. By the way, she is my age. Please excuse the graphics that follow-- I can get it up manually. sometimes it takes a lot of work, I can not get it up by just wanting arousal or sex. But, almost every night, it is up by itself. My urologist says I have no physical reasons for Ed. All the classic explanations apply to the physical problems. They make sense. We try to apply  a psychological reasons  for ED on the whole process. I think not.

So, where in the process of a man thinking of sex in his late 50, 60, 70 or 80's does the mind-to-penis not work. I think it is treatable. But, why ED? More importantly, why has our medical community, in this very modern world, not found real reasons for ED, not just contributing factors. Certainly, ED goes way back in history. I wonder if there are any articles in the hieroglyphics of ancient civilizations. I'll bet it is there. 

Your product is the best help we have, reduce the blood out flow. But what triggers the physical response to increase the input? Thanks for the discussion,

E.S. 

Answer

Dear E.S., 

It's a fascinating question. If there's no definite reason for ED, then why does it occur and why can't we cure it?

Perhaps the reason lies deeper than top level physiology. Perhaps we need to examine the fundamentals of aging and the cellular and genomic level. The study "The Hallmarks of Aging" by Carlos López-Otín and Maria A. Blasco and others provides some clues. 

In this study they describe aging as being characterized by a progressive loss of physiological integrity. The hallmarks they identify are genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, loss of proteostasis, deregulated nutrient-sensing, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion, and altered intercellular communication. 

As you asked in your email, why has the medical community not found the real reasons for ED? The study indicates the challenge: "to dissect the interconnectedness between the candidate hallmarks and their relative contribution to aging, with the final goal of identifying pharmaceutical targets to improve human health during aging with minimal side-effects."

Numerous premature aging diseases, such as Werner syndrome and Bloom syndrome, are the consequence of increased DNA damage accumulation (Burtner and Kennedy, 2010). It's difficult to link DNA damage directly to ED and even more difficult to treat DNA damage. DNA medicine is progressing quickly however, and it may be only a matter of time before a DNA treatment fixes ED. 

The study further points out the differences in aging caused by nuclear DNA degeneration and mitochondrial DNA degeneration, and telemere attrition. For instance telomerase deficiency in humans is associated with premature development of diseases, such as pulmonary fibrosis, dyskeratosis congenita and aplastic anemia, which involve the loss of the regenerative capacity of different tissues (Armanios and Blackburn, 2012). This can lead to shelterin mutations that cause rapid decline of the regenerative capacity of tissues and accelerated aging. 

While these examples only touch the surface of the causes of aging enumerated in this study, they provide a glimpse into the nearly infinite complexity of the human body and the difficulty of binding any single specific cause to a specific result, such as ED. 

As aging research progresses, the effect of aging on ED and potential treatments. and cures will continue to be a fascinating area of research and development.

Kind regards, 

The Xialla Medical Team

Follow-up comments by E.S. 

Nigel,

The reply to my question about ED and aging is most excellent. Thanks very much.

Recently, I have been getting more clues.

There is a growing realization that ED is NOT a cardiac issue at all. But, a neurologist issue. AND, that there may be a link with atrial fibrillation, Afib, in it many varieties. In studies, Afib and ED are almost concurrent. Interestingly, Afib is generally asymptomatic. So is the onset if ED. Afib is caused by a breakdown of the electrical signals between the upper and lower heart chambers.

What is now learned is that it is very most prevalent in the USA. ED is most reported in the USA too.

So, these facts may tell us that with aging, and other factors, ED is caused by failing electrical signals. Where? In the brain, or at the penis.

Note, this includes some speculation on my part. Studies to verify these suppositions are yet to be done, However, current knowledge suggests these connections.

E.S.