BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The incidence rate of erectile dysfunction (ED) among Chinese men is high but only 10 percent of sufferers are willing to seek treatment, according to a survey of Chinese men's health and quality of life.

    According to China Population News, the survey carried out by Beijing University People's Hospital shows that 57 percent of respondents reluctant to seek treatment think the problem results from aging.

    Statistics show that 25 percent of Chinese men suffer from some kind of sexual dysfunction while 10 percent of couples suffer from sterility. However, men are 28 percent less willing than women to consult doctors.

    According to another authoritative nationwide survey, Chinese ED patients go to see a doctor on average 22 months after developing the complaint, much longer than the average six months in Western nations.

    Chronic disease may be a major cause of erection dysfunction (ED) in elderly people, but many patients with ED have mistaken ideas, said Zhu Jichuan, a professor from Beijing University People's Hospital, adding that timely medical treatment of chronic diseases will relieve ED symptoms.

    The survey shows that 64 percent of respondents have chronic diseases, including high blood pressure (hypertension), heart disease, diabetes and hyperlipemia.

    Up to 52.5 percent of Chinese men over 40 years old suffer from ED to some extent, and more than 90 percent of ED patients conceded that it had seriously perturbed their sexual lives and undermined their sense of virility, the survey finds.

    Wang Yixin, a professor with the Shanghai Andrology Research Center, said that 80 percent of ED cases in China are physical in origin while the other 20 percent are caused by psychological factors such as tension, anxiety and depression. Enditem