How common is erectile dysfunction at age 40?

According to a study published in the August 2003 issue of “Annals of Internal Medicine,” 4 percent of health professionals between the ages of 53 and 90 reported that they first experienced ED between the ages of 40 and 49. Of course, it may be argued that these older men tended to remember their younger years in a more positive light than was actually the case.

Part of the problem with such studies and surveys is the inexactitude of terminology. At the other end of the scale from the study cited above are the findings of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, which found that a whopping 40 percent of men are affected by ED by age 40.

What isn’t clear from either of these studies is whether the questioning addressed occasional erection difficulties or persistent erectile dysfunction, which are two very different things. The former can be caused by having too much to drink, extreme fatigue, a bout of performance anxiety, or just having a lousy day. Persistent ED, of course, is a problem that must be treated on an ongoing basis.