Impaired sexual potency can be an early sign of cardiovascular disease, according to the Wiesbaden-based German Society of Internal Medicine (DGIM). Possible causes are damaged or clogged arteries throughout the body.

Men with potency problems should therefore consult a cardiologist, who can usually cure erectile dysfunction without prescribing potency pills, experts say. Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, which inhibit the build-up of plaque in the blood vessels, have proven helpful.

Impotence and cardiovascular disease have plenty in common. They both are more frequent with advancing age and occur more often in men who smoke, are diabetics, and have high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol levels.

According to Professor Michael Boehm of Saarland University Hospital in Homburg, the two ailments may also have the same cause: impaired function of the endothelium, the inner lining of blood vessels.

This disorder affects the coronary arteries, where dangerous deposits can lead to a heart attack, as well as the helix-shaped arteries that carry blood to the erectile tissue in the penis.