YouTube/Dr. Bobby Lazzara

The inability of a man to rise to the occasion when in bed could be bad not only on his marriage or ego, but also his general health. A new Australian study found that men from age 20 or older who suffer from erectile dysfunction - or the inability of their penises to attain erection - have twice the risk of cardiovascular events compared to men who don't have ED.

The events include ischemic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease and other heart conditions for males with severe ED, said Emily Banks from the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health in Australia.

The study had more than 95,000 participants who filled up a postal questionnaire that had a question on the erectile functioning of their reproductive organ.

The information gained allowed the researchers to define ED as none, mild, moderate or severe.

The study, published in PLOS Medicine journal, urged men suffering from ED, even those considered mild or moderate, to be screened and treated for any cardiovascular diseases.

Another study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that 25 per cent of men who sought help for ED are below 40 years old. Irwin Goldstein, editor-in-chief of the journal, explained that ED is a marker for overall cardiovascular function.

The second study had almost 500 male respondents who visited an outpatient clinic between 2010 and 2012. About one-fourth of them were below 40, weren't obese, had low blood levels of testosterone and fewer medication conditions compared to older males. But most of them were frequent smokers and even users of illegal drugs.

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