Although medical experts have suggested that the coronavirus is much deadlier for men, studies have found that the male population is far less likely to take measures that could significantly reduce their chances of infection. But if the prospect of death isn't enough to scare men into wearing masks or practice social distancing, perhaps the threat of impotence will.
During a recent interview with NBC 5 Chicago, infectious disease expert Dr. Dena Grayson spoke about the long-term effects of a COVID-19 infection and highlighted the possibility of it leading to erectile dysfunction.
"There is some real concern here that men could have longtime issues of erectile dysfunction from this virus, because we know that it causes issues in the vasculature," Grayson said. "So this is something that is of real concern—not just that this virus can kill, but can actually cause long-term, lifelong potential complications."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some of the reported long-term effects of COVID-19 are brain fog, intermittent fever, heart palpitations, lung function abnormalities and acute kidney injury. The agency does not list impotence as a reported consequence, but as Grayson noted, experts are learning more and more about the disease and its aftermath as the number of infections grows.
" ... The vast majority of people do seem to recover from this virus, but as time goes on, and more and more people are infected, we're going to unfortunately see more and more of these long-term negative consequences of infection," she said.
Though erectile dysfunction isn't a confirmed long-term symptom of COVID-19, Grayson's comments have created a stir on social media, as many reshared her warning as way to convince the public—specifically men—to adhere to the recommended safety measures. You can read some of the reactions below:
