Mr Divine Akaba, a Medical Representative of Pfizer, an international drug company, on Wednesday said recent studies conducted in the country showed that some 500,000 Ghanaian men had problem with getting erection for normal sexual relationship.
The condition, which is on the increase, was formerly referred to as 'impotence' but medical experts now prefer to call it 'erectile dysfunction'. Mr Akaba said in an interview that worldwide, some 100 million men suffer from the condition, which is associated with the persistent inability of a man to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual intercourse.
He said Pfizer conducted the studies in Ghana in 1999 during the introduction of 'Viagra' onto the Ghanaian market. Viagra is the first oral medication worldwide, proven to treat erectile dysfunction.
The most common risk factors of erectile dysfunction include medical conditions that make it difficult for enough blood to flow into the penis.
These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and hardening of the arteries. "Cases of erectile dysfunction may be on the increase in Ghana probably because of increasing awareness being created about the condition," Mr Akaba noted.
He said most men do not see the condition as a medical problem but rather see it as an affront to their potency or virility. While the condition is not life threatening, it affects the lives of millions of men and their partners and when it is severe, it may have a very significant impact on a man's self-image.
"They are not able to come out and prefer to live with the condition because of the cultural stigma attached to impotence. Even though it is a medical condition they do not seek help, " Mr Akaba said.
He said psychological conditions such as anxiety; stress or depression and lifestyles including cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and drug use are among risk factors associated with the ailment.
Nerve injuries or illness that interrupts the connection between the nervous system and the penis, such as spinal cord injury, stroke or surgery of the prostate or colon are other risk factors.
Mr Akaba said although ageing could be a factor erectile dysfunction is by no means inevitable, as a man gets older.
