Causes of Impotence

Causes of Impotence: About 70% of cases of impotence are actually caused by an underlying disease, such as diabetes or kidney disease, rather than a mental or physical problem. Secondary impotence from various drugs and medications is common. Physical damage from injury or surgery is another common cause of impotence. Psychological causes of impotence are estimated to be only 10-20% of cases. Although psychological aspects such as anxiety and fear of sexual failure are commonly associated with impotence, they are not usually the real case, but are a reaction to having impotence.

Cause of Impotence: Impotence usually has a physical cause, such as disease, injury, or drug side-effects. Any disorder that impairs blood flow in the penis has the potential to cause impotence. ¹

Cause statistics for Impotence: The following are statistics from various sources about the causes of Impotence:

3.9% of diabetic men attending specialist diabetes services had an erectile dysfunction in Australia 2002 (Australia’s Health 2004, AIHW)

Underlying condition causes of Impotence: The list of possible underlying conditions (see also Misdiagnosis of underlying causes of Impotence) mentioned in various sources as possible causes of Impotence includes:

Various hormonal or metabolic diseases can lead to impotence:
- Kidney disease
- Alcoholism
- Liver disease
- Hormonal abnormalities
- Testosterone deficiency
- Testicle disorder
- Pituitary disorder
Physical damage of various types can lead to impotence:
- Penile injury
- Pelvic injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Bladder injury (see Bladder symptoms)
- Prostate surgery
- Testicle injury
Blood or blood vessel disorders that may cause impotence include:
- Atherosclerosis
- Vascular disease
- Arteriosclerosis
- Aortoiliac lesion
- High blood pressure
Disorders affecting the nerves that may cause impotence include:
- Diabetes - impotence caused by diabetes is often curable by treating the diabetes.
- Neuropathy
- Diabetic neuropathy
- Autonomic neuropathy
- Alcoholic neuropathy
- Multiple sclerosis
- Spinal cord disorders
- Heavy smoking
- Penile nerve disorder
Brain disorders that may cause impotence include:
Psychological causes of psychogenic impotence include:
- Stress
- Fatigue
- Anxiety
- Guilt
- Depression
- Low self-esteem (see Self-esteem symptoms)
- Performance anxiety
- Fear of sexual failure
- Disinterest in sex
- Gradual degradation of sexuality in long relationships
- Fear of sexually transmitted diseases
- Fear of angina
- Fear of heart attack
- Boredom
- Sadness (see Depressive symptoms)
- Reduced libido
- Emotional disorder
- Deep-seated psychological disorder
Smoking - can contribute to or cause impotence in some cases
Certain medications

Impotence as a complication: Other conditions that might have Impotence as a complication might be potential underlying causes of Impotence. The list of conditions listing Impotence as a complication in our database includes:

Impotence as a symptom: Conditions listing Impotence as a symptom may also be potential underlying causes of Impotence. The list of conditions listing Impotence as a symptom in our database includes:

Causes of Impotence: medical news summaries: The following medical news items are relevant to causes of Impotence:

Related information for causes of Impotence: Further relevant information on causes of Impotence may be found in the risk factors for Impotence and underlying causes of Impotence.

Footnotes:
1. excerpt from Impotence: NIDDK

Last revision: Nov 12, 2003

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