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Article: Testosterone and erectile physiology
- Article from:
- Aging Male
- Article date:
- December 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Taylor & Francis Ltd. Dec 2006. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Abstract
The role of testosterone deficiency in sexual dysfunction is an important aspect of aging, because it affects such a large proportion of men over 50 years old. A number of age-related factors can cause sexual dysfunction (in particular erectile dysfunction) and testosterone deficiency, such as chronic illness and multiple medications, and the causative link between hypogonadism and erectile dysfunction is still debated. However, studies in castrated animals have proven that addition of testosterone, and its conversion to dihydrotestosterone, can restore erectile function. It appears that testosterone achieves this by peripheral mechanisms (endothelial dependent and independent) and ...