Approximately 5 percent of men from the age group 40 to 50 year olds complain of a lessening in quality in their erection.
In the age group healthy 60 to 70 year olds – those who do not take medication regularly – 50 percent have a definite erection disorder. With men above the age of 80, healthy erections are seldom found.

The cause of this process is on the one hand the increasing lack of testosterone in the older man and on the other hand a decline in the erectile tissue of the penis, the cavernous smooth muscles.

This weakness leads to the decline in function of the penis. Whether and in how much the lack of testosterone has to do with this process has not yet been fully explained by science.

Fundamental causes apart from both of these basic problems are however all illnesses which lead to a heart attack or stroke: high blood pressure, lipid metabolism, diabetes mellitus or arteriosclerosis.

It is important that every man is conscious that a diminishing erection can be a warning signal and can be, in certain cases, an indication for a more serious, not yet revealed basic illness.

In fact, every third man ending up in the emergency ward with a heart attack was found to have had erection disorder five years previously.

A visit to the urologist would have probably not cured the erection disorder but the basic problem would have been revealed and he probably would have not suffered a heart attack.

A careful urological and andrological check up is therefore urgently recommended.
The prescription of medication such as Viagra is certainly not enough here.

Therapy
For those with erection problems, depending on the basic disease, there are a number of excellent therapies to help patients regain a fulfilled sex life.

Medication such as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis are well known, lesser known are injections of Prostaglandin E1 into the erectile tissue.

Erection aid using vacuum devices have been successful. In extremely difficult cases we offer patients help with the implantation of a penile prosthesis.

As a rule, the reasons for the disorder should be revealed before prescribing any medication.

Costs
Although the causes are various in nature and in some cases can pose a severe health threat to the man in other areas, the public health insurance authorities are of the perfectly defensible opinion that sexuality belongs to the private life of a person.
Therefore drugs such as Viagra are not paid for by public health insurance companies.