A Nigerian doctor is raising the alarm: if a man is struggling to get or maintain an erection, his heart may be trying to tell him something.
The doctor warns that erectile dysfunction can be an early indicator of cardiovascular disease, and is urging Nigerian men not to brush the symptom aside or treat it as a purely personal or sexual issue. The connection between the two conditions is rooted in blood flow. The same vascular problems that restrict circulation to the heart can affect blood supply elsewhere in the body, and the penis is often where the signal shows up first.
The call to action is simple but urgent. Men who experience erectile dysfunction are being encouraged to speak with a medical professional, not just about their sexual health, but about the state of their cardiovascular system as a whole.
The stigma around men's health in Nigeria, and across much of the continent, means many men suffer in silence rather than seek care. But what feels like an embarrassing private matter could actually be the earliest warning sign of a life-threatening condition. Getting checked early might be exactly what saves your life.
Originally published by BusinessDay.