--- title: "COVID Linked to Long-Term Erectile Dysfunction" description: "According to a new study, COVID-19 can lead to long-term erectile dysfunction, yet another sign that sufferers of the deadly virus often suffer from long-lingering symptoms long after they recovered from the viral infection. The study, published in the World Journal of Men’s Health earlier this month, found that COVID-19 can result in endothelial dysfunction, […]" date: "2021-05-12" modified: "2021-05-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/covid-linked-long-term-erectile-dysfunction" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "erectile dysfunction" --- # COVID Linked to Long-Term Erectile Dysfunction ![Researchers were able to demonstrate that COVID-19 can lead to long-term erectile dysfunction, another sign that symptoms can last for a long time.]() *\Image: Image via Pixabay\* In a new study, researchers demonstrated that COVID-19 [can lead to long-term erectile dysfunction](), yet another sign that victims of the deadly virus often suffer from lasting symptoms even long after they recovered from the viral infection itself. The [study](), published in the *World Journal of Men's Health* last week, found that COVID-19 can result in endothelial dysfunction, in which large blood vessels on the heart's surface constrict instead of dilate. This blood vessel dysfunction can then contribute to erectile dysfunction, according to the researchers. The results only examined tissues from only four men — two with a history of COVID infection, and two without — who underwent penile prosthesis surgery to treat erectile dysfunction. That's a very small sample size and may or may not be generalizable to the greater population, but the work builds on separate research, [published earlier this year]() in the journal *Andrology*, which found that men who had previously had COVID were six times as likely as other men to develop erectile dysfunction. "Our research shows that COVID-19 can cause widespread endothelial dysfunction in organ systems beyond the lungs and kidneys," said University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researcher and author Ranjith Ramasamy, in [a statement](). "The underlying endothelial dysfunction that happens because of COVID-19 can enter the endothelial cells and affect many organs, including the penis." COVID-19 infection proved devastating to many. "In our pilot study, we found that men who previously did not complain of erectile dysfunction developed pretty severe erectile dysfunction after the onset of COVID-19 infection," Ramasamy said. Their conclusion comes after finding that two out of the four men who had previously caught COVID-19 had evidence of endothelial dysfunction. The other two who were free of the virus did not. "These latest findings are yet another reason that we should all do our best to avoid COVID-19," first author Elyahu Kresch, a medical student working with Ramasamy, said in the statement. "We recommend vaccination and to try to stay safe in general." **READ MORE:** [Researchers Report COVID-19 Found in Penile Tissue Could Contribute to Erectile Dysfunction]() \[University of Miami Miller School of Medicine\] **More on COVID-19:** *[Unfortunate Woman Mistakenly Got SIX Doses of COVID Vaccine]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()