《中英對照讀新聞》Daily doses of painkillers increase impotence risk 每日服止痛劑增加陽痿風險

◎陳成良

Painkillers used by thousands of men in Britain may double the risk of impotence, claim researchers.

研究人員聲稱，英國成千上萬男性服用的止痛劑，可能使陽痿風險增加一倍。

Scientists found daily doses of the drugs, including the popular over-the-counter pill ibuprofen, increased the risk of erectile problems in middle-aged and elderly men.

科學家發現，每日服用這些藥，包括常見的非處方藥 「伊布普洛芬」（異丁苯丙酸），會升高中老年人發生勃起問題的風險。

The research carried out at the University of Tampere in Finland suggests for the first time that some cases of male impotence may be due to a class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs.

芬蘭坦培里大學進行的這項研究首度指出，一些男性陽痿病例可能與名為「非類固醇消炎止痛藥」（NSAIDs）這一類的藥有關。

These are used widely to treat pain and inflammation and many patients with arthritis are on high daily doses, often on prescription, to ease swollen, painful joints.

這些藥廣泛用來止痛消炎，許多關節炎患者也常經醫生處方，每日服用高劑量的這種藥，來舒緩關節腫脹疼痛。

Erectile dysfunction is thought to affect one in ten men in Britain at some stage in the life. Around 30 per cent of cases are due to psychological factors, such as depression or pressure at work.

據信英國每10名男人就有1人在人生某個階段會有勃起功能障礙，約30%的案例是心理因素引起，諸如憂鬱或工作壓力。

The remaining 70 per cent have some underlying physical cause, with the condition recognized as an early sign of heart disease because clogged arteries reduces blood flow to the genitals.

剩下的70%是肇因於某些內在生理因素，推斷這是心臟病的初期症狀，因為血管阻塞導致流向性器官的血液減少。

新聞辭典

impotence： 陽痿；不舉。醫學上稱為erectile dyfunction（勃起功能障礙），也可簡稱ED。

over-the-counter pill (drug)：「櫃臺銷售藥」，指不需要醫生處方，可直接從藥房或藥店購取的藥物，處方藥為prescription drug。over-the-counter常縮寫為OTC。

underlying：含蓄的；潛在的。例句︰The story has an underlying theme.（這故事有一內在的主題）。