Endocrine etiology of erectile dysfunction

Erectile function is a neurovascular mechanism centrally controlled by psychoneuroendocrine factors. For this reason, hormonal diseases represent an important and potentially treatable cause of sexual dysfunction. The availability of a correct endocrinological diagnosis allows correct identification of most cases of sexual dysfunction in which the endocrine apparatus is involved. Not only the most frequent causes of endocrine sexual dysfunction, such as hypogonadism and hyperprolactinemia, but almost all extra-gonadal endocrinopathies (hyper-and hypothyroidism, hyper- and hypocortisolism, steroidal secreting tumors, etc.) may have importance to a greater or lesser extent in sexual function. It is therefore necessary that the diagnostic process for sexual dysfunctions of an endocrine nature be as integrated and wide as possible, especially as such pathologies are normally extremely responsive to medical or surgical therapy