London: Heart diseases are on the rise around the world and they have fatal effects on health. While it is considered to be the biggest killer, the condition seems to be killing people’s sex life first, according to the Huffington Post.
“Heart patients and their general physicians should talk openly about sex issues,” the British Heart Foundation said, after its survey found nearly a fifth of people with heart conditions, or 19%, found sex impossible and nearly a third, or 32%, have had sex less often as a result of their condition.
According to a leading heart charity in the UK, more than one million people could have stopped having sex altogether as a result of a heart condition, said the report.
“One in five respondents said they were worried about having a heart attack or cardiac arrest during sex,” the report said.
According to the survey for the BHF magazine Heart Matters, as many as 1,511 patients took the survey. Of that, 14% had lost interest in sex because of the emotional impact of their condition.
Nearly half the men surveyed, 46%, said medication for their condition had caused erectile dysfunction. Based on the survey results, it estimated that more than one million people could have stopped having sex because of their heart condition.
The report quoted Doireann Maddock, senior cardiac nurse at the BHF, saying, "Sex is a hugely important part of life, but isn't getting the attention it deserves in the consultation room.”
"Problems like erectile dysfunction can often be tackled and rectified, but the first hurdle is identifying people who need that help."
