Erectile Dysfunction in Men with Chronic Diseases: The Treatment before Treatment, Pathophysiology and Novel Therapeutic Approaches

Dear colleagues,

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a problem that affects millions of people worldwide. The causes can be either organic or psychogenic, with the first predominate being increasing age. Although the final step is erectile tissue dysfunction expressed as decreased relaxation, different underlying mechanisms exist (endothelial, connective tissue, or neurological dysfunction). The current treatments mainly focus on improving endothelial-induced vasodilation and, therefore, are a symptomatic rather than causative treatment. Since many chronic conditions can be the cause of ED with known or unknown pathophysiological mechanisms, treatment of the underlying condition can prevent or improve erectile dysfunction. Diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, hormonal and vitamin dysfunction (like hypogonadism, hyperthyroidism, vitamin D deficiency), renal deficiency, neurologic diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep disorders, chronic liver diseases, chronic periodontitis, autoimmune diseases, and even commonly used drug-induced side effects like antipsychotic and antidepressant medications are some of the chronic conditions that if treated can improve erectile function. Novel treatments that are considered curative, like low-intensity shock waves, PRP, and stem cells are also emerging as new players in ED.

The current issue is focusing on the pathophysiological mechanisms that link chronic diseases with ED and investigating possible novel treatments in the field of erectile dysfunction.

Dr. Vassilis Protogerou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Medicines is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.