Contents
As medicine evolves, questions of not only how to save lives, but also how to improve the quality of life after a heart attack are becoming increasingly important to cardiologists. An important component is a full sexual life, regardless of the patient’s age.
Sexual life in diseases of the cardiovascular system
However, many men suffering from diseases of the cardiovascular system or who have had a myocardial infarction avoid having sex for fear of developing a second heart attack or sudden death.
These fears are shared not only by their sexual partners, but also by their attending cardiologists. Stories of people who have died allegedly due to sexual activity raise concerns.
At the same time, according to research results, the risk of cardiovascular complications in patients suffering from cardiac pathology during sexual activity is relatively low.
Risk of developing myocardial infarction
The risk of developing myocardial infarction in a healthy man during the year is 1%. As a result of sexual activity, it increases by 0,01% in a healthy man and by 1% in a man with a definite diagnosis of coronary artery disease.
The absolute risk of developing cardiovascular complications (for a healthy man) is one chance in a million.
This rate increases to 2 per million after 2 hours after intercourse (in a healthy man) and to 20 per million in a man suffering from coronary artery disease.
During sexual intercourse, the maximum heart rate is 120-130 beats/min, systolic pressure increases to 150-180 mm. Hg These indicators persist for 3-5 minutes with an average duration of sexual intercourse (5-15 minutes). This is the same as walking 1,5 km in 20 minutes.
erectile disfunction
Often older men experience erectile dysfunction – the inability of a man to achieve or maintain an erection to ensure adequate sexual intercourse.
Erectile dysfunction is the first sign of vascular pathology and indicates the possibility of hidden ischemic heart disease. A significant proportion of patients with coronary artery disease also have arterial hypertension and they take antihypertensive drugs, which can cause erectile dysfunction.
The physical load of a man during sexual intercourse can be comparable to the load that a person receives during everyday physical activity, and does not lead to a significant increase in the development of the risk of vascular complications, including myocardial infarction.