Coronavirus Erectile Dysfunction – Hahn blocked by COVID-19

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, the coronavirus has its sights on your penis. While it’s too early to be sure, new research shows that the coronavirus can cause erectile dysfunction (ED). Remember that no two cases of the virus are alike. Many have caught COVID and left their genitals alone. But some don’t. Here are the latest details on erectile dysfunction research related to Coviden.

Why should the coronavirus affect an erection?

The endothelium is a thin membrane that lines the inside of our blood vessels. These cells release the compounds responsible for vasoconstriction, blood clotting, and immune function. You can find endothelial cells wherever blood flows, especially in the heart, lungs, organs and penis. Unfortunately, research shows that covid-19 interacts with these cells. Severe cases of the virus can damage this tissue and lead to endothelial dysfunction.

“Our research shows that COVID-19 can cause widespread endothelial dysfunction in organ systems beyond the lungs and kidneys. The underlying endothelial dysfunction that occurs due to COVID-19 can invade endothelial cells and affect many organs, including the penis, ”said study author Ranjith Ramasamy, associate professor and director of the Miller School’s Reproductive Urology Program. “In our pilot study, we found that men who had not previously complained of erectile dysfunction developed fairly severe erectile dysfunction after the onset of COVID-19 infection.”

The World Journal of Men’s Health Study

In May 2021, the World Journal of Men’s Health published the Dr. Ramasamy conducted study. While it was only about four men, the research is pretty conclusive. All four had surgically implanted penile prostheses and agreed to have tissue samples taken during the procedure. Two of the men had contracted the coronavirus six to eight months prior to the study; One experienced mild symptoms while the other experienced a serious case. Both of them had no history of erectile dysfunction until they caught Covid-19. When analyzing the samples, evidence of the coronavirus was found in the two men who had COVID-19. The other two samples showed no evidence of the virus.

Photo credit: Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy / University of Miami Health System

Ultrastructural features of penile tissue from live seroconverted COVID-19 patients. (A) Coronavirus-like doped virus particles (arrows), made visible via TEM in the perivascular erectile tissue of a living patient who had previously been infected with the COVID-19 virus and subsequently seroconverted. Measurement of the particle diameter given on the picture. (B) Coronavirus-like doped virus particles (arrows), made visible via TEM in the perivascular erectile tissue of a living patient who had previously been infected with the Covid-19 virus and then seroconverted. Measurement of the particle diameter given on the picture.

Italy

Pretty early on, Italy noticed that Covid was affecting erections and began to investigate the issue. Sex @ COVID was an anonymous, web-based questionnaire that ran from April 7th to May 4th, 2020. They surveyed one hundred men about erectile dysfunction and found that it was 28% more common in the group that had previously contracted the coronavirus.

What that means

Unfortunately, there is significant evidence to support the theory that COVID-19 can have long-term effects on erections. While this is not true for every case, it does for some of them, and the severity of the condition does not seem to be a factor. More research is being done on this topic, but in the meantime, it is best not to take any chances. If you’ve had the coronavirus and are having trouble getting tough, talk to your doctor.