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MONDAY, Oct. 8, 2018 – Scientists report that they discovered the first evidence that erectile dysfunction could have genetic underpinnings.
In the study, researchers analyzed the data of hundreds of thousands of men. The investigators discovered genetic variations at a specific location in the human genome, close to the SIM1 gene, significantly associated with increased risk of impotence.
"Identifying this SIM1 locus as a risk factor for erectile dysfunction is a big problem because it provides much-needed evidence that there is a genetic component in the disease," said author of the Erectile Dysfunction. 39, study, Eric Jorgenson. He is a Research Fellow at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Research Division.
"The identification of the first genetic risk factor for erectile dysfunction is an exciting discovery because it opens the door to investigations into new therapies based on genetics," he said in a press release. from Kaiser.
Erectile dysfunction is a common condition in older men and is linked to many causes, such as neurological, hormonal and vascular factors. Some treatments target these factors, but many men do not respond to them.
Genetics is thought to play a role in about a third of erectile dysfunction cases, but this is the first time that researchers link a specific genomic locus to the disease.
The study was published on October 8 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
According to Dr. Hunter Wessells, co-author of the study, "this study points to a new direction of erectile dysfunction research that could help us identify other key genetic variants that trigger disease and to conducting research to better understand the precise mechanisms by which they work. "Wessells is president of urology at the University of Washington's School of Medicine.
"Hopefully this will result in better treatments and, most importantly, prevention approaches for men and their partners who often suffer silently from this disease," he added.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about erectile dysfunction.
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