A test to ascertain the level of production and a therapy against erectile dysfunction
by ANTONIO CAPERNA
RICCIONE – It is a gas produced by our body that is responsible for the process of vasodilation and muscle relaxation, which allows pleasure in the couple. It is nitric oxide, released from peripheral nerve endings following an erotic stimulus.
It is produced from an amino acid (arginine) and oxygen. When there is a deficiency of these two factors in the body, its production decreases with notable repercussions including erectile dysfunction. «Wrong lifestyles, smoking, obesity, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension cause a decrease in nitric oxide, also causing impotence – explains Professor Ermanno Greco, director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Biology at the European Hospital in Rome.
Today the production of nitric oxide can be ascertained with specific blood tests and with color Doppler ultrasound. The therapy aims to increase the flow of blood and therefore oxygen and to absorb arginine from the outside. Unfortunately the latter is not well absorbed by our body.”
