The primary connection between high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction is that hypertension is a major cause of sexual problems in men. It is not fully understood why this occurs, but the link has been noted in about 80% of men who report suffering from erectile dysfunction. Additionally, approximately 70% of men with hypertension report sexual dysfunction which occurs at least once per month, and about 40% report that it sometimes occurs three or more times per month. These statistics are much lower among men who do not have high blood pressure.
How high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction affect one another is not known for sure, but it is thought that increased pressure in the arteries and vessels may damage the vessels which feed blood into the penis. This would result in less blood making it into the organ during sexual arousal. This idea does have flaws since men who have severe high blood pressure seem to have more of a risk of sexual problems than those who have had mild to moderate hypertension for several years. Even men who have not had severe hypertension for very long seem to be at an increased risk. Since damage to the blood vessels can take years to occur and many men with sexual problems have only suffered from hypertension for a limited amount of time, this theory does not seem to be true for most men with both high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction.
Another cause of erectile dysfunction in those with hypertension is the medication used to treat this condition. Many high blood pressure medications have been known to cause mild to severe sexual problems in men. If this becomes a serious problem, additional measures may need to be taken to ensure sexual function.
There are several potential treatments for high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction. If high blood pressure itself rather than medication is causing sexual difficulties, treatment for this alone may help. In most cases, though, additional drugs to stimulate sexual arousal may be needed. Some very severe cases may require penile injections or surgery.
Sometimes therapy may also be needed to improve sexual function. When a man has trouble performing once it can cause severe anxiety to develop, which can interfere with sex even further. Anxiety can lead to erectile dysfunction even without an underlying condition, and it can exacerbate an existing problem. Learning to manage stress, anxiety, and depression are important steps in acquiring and maintaining proper sexual function.