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Half of the male population   suffers from erectile dysfunction and the proportion is likely to grow as men live longer, according to an impotence expert.

Chris McMahon, director of the Australian Centre for Sexual Health, said men should seek help from their physician if they have a problem.

Currently, only 10 to 15 per cent of men with erectile problems are seeking treatment.

'We're only treating the tip of the iceberg,' he said. 'That's why educating these men is so important. No man should suffer in silence,' he said.

Dr McMahon was in  Hong Kong yesterday to speak to local physicians about erectile dysfunction. He  advised them to ask men about their sex lives during checkups.

Men are often relieved when they are asked this question so they can talk about it, Dr McMahon said.

'The one thing that is global and universal is that men will link masculinity with sexuality.'

About 20 per cent of men of all age groups are  impotent,  while about 30 per cent have milder forms of dysfunction, he said.

The problem could be psychological or physical. Men are unable to get an erection if they have a blood-circulation problem.  Cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes also contribute.

Medication in the form of Viagra pills became available in Hong Kong in 1998.

Another pill, called Cialis, has been approved by the Health Department and is due to enter the local market by the end of the year. Elsewhere, Levitra is a third option in pill form for impotent men, but it is not yet available in Hong Kong. All three drugs work  by blocking an enzyme called PDE5 to relax smooth muscle cells and increase blood flow.

Those whose erectile problems are caused by psychological factors are usually cured after taking one of the pills for one or two months, Dr McMahon said.

But impotent men  would have to take a pill each time they have sex.

The best course of action is to supplement the medication with a healthier lifestyle, Dr McMahon said.

He is the chairman of a World Health Organisation  committee on male ejaculatory dysfunction and founding president of the Australian Society of Impotence Medicine.



Half of the male population suffers  erectile dysfunction,  expert says