Research suggests that erectile dysfunction may be linked with incidents of diabetes, heart disease and other cardiovascular difficulties.

A study by Melbourne researchers, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, shows that there were twice as many incidents of cardiovascular difficulty in men over 20 suffering erectile dysfunction than those who don’t. Worrying statistics show that after the first significant episode of erectile dysfunction in men aged over 55, 2% had a major stroke within a year and 11% within five years.

The conductors of the study, Carol Holden and Carlyn Allan, of Andrology Australia, and Robert McLachlan, of Melbourne’s Prince Henry’s Institute, even go so far as to align the risk of erectile dysfunctional sufferers having heart problems with the risk of smokers.

This new information may catch men at a surprise. With, men often too embarrassed to seek specialist help about erectile difficulty, the researchers suggest they could be missing a “vital warning of impending cardiovascular disease” The study also reports a link between erectile dysfunction and diabetes with up to 89% of men with diabetes suffering from the difficulty.

The researchers explained that this may be a symptom of undiagnosed diabetes, making the illness a hot topic when dealing with erectile dysfunction sufferers.

This study highlights the clues erectile dysfunction can leave behind that men. The researchers state that making this association between reproductive health and chronic illness more clear would force men to shelve their embarrassment, encouraging them to seek help or pay more attention to other problems.

With doctors thought to underplay such sexual difficulties, the researchers add: “Education for health professionals can help ensure that reproductive health is considered a key part of men's overall health and quality of life, and effective strategies for engaging men are incorporated into routine practice”.