Description: Med Headlines - Although medication can help extend the lives of men with chronic heart failure, several factors associated with this disease can interfere with a person's ability to engage in and enjoy sexual activities. Fatigue, depression, medication side effects and the fear of damaging the heart can cause people with chronic heart failure to lose interest in sex or wonder whether this activity is safe for them.

A literature review published in the October issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings finds that with proper screening and treatment, many patients with chronic heart failure can safely engage in sexual activity.

Methods
Co-authors Stacy Mandras, M.D., from Washington University in Saint Louis, Mo.; Patricia Uber, Pharm. D., and Mandeep Mehra, M.D., both from the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore; conducted systematic independent literature searches using the MEDLINE database and examined a broad range of medical research that focused on chronic heart failur