The heart matters in impotence

Men with heart disease who also complain of erectile dysfunction die sooner than other male heart patients, researchers reported on Monday.

They found that men who had both conditions were twice as likely to die from any cause and twice as likely to have a heart attack than men with heart disease alone.

The researchers expressed concern that using drugs such as Pfizer's Viagra or Eli Lilly's Cialis to treat erectile dysfunction could mask the symptoms that point to widespread heart and artery disease, and said men complaining of impotence should be checked by a cardiologist.