How erectile dysfunction might signify something deeper about your heart health

Men with erectile dysfunction have a 59% higher risk of developing heart disease 

The reason comes down to blood flow.^3,4 

Heart disease can develop when blood vessel walls stop working properly or become narrowed by fatty deposits and inflammation, reducing how much blood can flow through them.^3,4 While these processes affect blood vessels throughout the body, symptoms often show up first in the penis because the vessels there are smaller than those carrying blood to the heart.^3,4 

Arteries supplying the penis are only around 1–2mm wide – roughly the width of a grain of rice – compared with the arteries supplying the heart, which are around twice as wide.⁴ That’s why erectile dysfunction can appear years before any heart-related symptoms.³ 

In the UK, as many as 1 in 5 men are affected by ED.⁵ 

Here are those all-important stats you need to know:

• Men with erectile dysfunction have a 59% higher risk of developing heart disease⁶ 
• In men with both conditions, almost 7 in 10 experienced erectile dysfunction before heart disease⁷ 
• Erection problems typically appear around 2–5 years before any heart symptoms^1,2 

How signs can show up long before heart disease

Research suggests erection problems can typically develop between 3 and 5 years before any heart-related symptoms.^1,2 In fact, around 7 in 10 men who experienced both conditions reported erectile dysfunction before their heart disease was diagnosed.⁷ 

Despite that, almost two-thirds of men experiencing erectile dysfunction have never spoken to their doctor about it.^*8 

That's the message behind 'Listen to Jordic', a new awareness campaign from JOE using comedy to encourage men to take erectile dysfunction seriously as a possible health warning rather than something to ignore or feel embarrassed about. 

The campaign features a tongue-in-cheek folk music video, but the message underneath is a serious one: if you're experiencing erectile dysfunction, it's worth speaking to your GP. It won't always point to heart disease, but it could be an early opportunity to identify issues such as high cholesterol or cardiovascular disease before they become more serious.^3,4 

For more information on Jordic, click here

Footnotes:  

*Derived from men’s health survey of 4,644 individuals over four months in 2024.⁸ 

References: 

1. Kloner RA, et al. J Sex Med. 2024;21(2):90–116.  

2. Jackson G. Arab J Urol. 2013 Sep;11(3):212–216.  

3. De Leonardis F, et al. Biomedicines. 2022;10(8):1848. 

4. Salonia A, Brock, G. Erectile Dysfunction: A Harbinger of Cardiovascular Disease Risk. In: Jannini, E.A. The Canary in the Coalmine. Trends in Andrology and Sexual Medicine. p. 27-41. Cham: Springer; 2026.  

5. The Care Pharmacy. Erectile Dysfunction Statistics UK 2025. Accessed August, 2026. https://thecarepharmacy.com/erectile-dysfunction-statistics-uk-2025/ 

6. Zhao B, et al.  J Sex Med. 2019;16(7):1005–1017. 

7. Montorsi F, et al. Eur Urol. 2003;44(3):360–365. 

8. Healthline. Results for Healthline’s survey on men’s health | Erectile dysfunction edition. Accessed August, 2026. https://www.healthline.com/health/mens-health-survey-and-ed