Peyronie’s Disease Definition
Peyronie’s disease is a non-cancerous condition that results from fibrous scar tissue that forms on the penis and causes painful curved erections.
Penises vary in shape and size, and consuming a curved erection is not necessarily a cause for concern. But Peyronie’s disease causes significant curvature or pain in some men.
It can prevent you from having sex or make it difficult to get an erection (erectile dysfunction). In many men, Peyronie’s disease also causes stress and anxiety. Penis shortening is another common concern.
Even if you’ve had the disorder for some time, treatment can help improve bothersome symptoms, such as pain, curvature, and shortening of the penis.
What are the Symptoms of Peyronie’s Disease?
The signs and symptoms of Peyronie’s disease can appear suddenly or develop progressively. The most common signs and symptoms include:
Scar Tissue
The scar tissue associated with Peyronie’s disease (called plaque, but different from the plaque that can build up in blood vessels) can feel under the skin of the penis as flat lumps or a band of hard tissue.
A significant Curvature of the Penis
The penis can curve upward, curve downward, or bend to one side.
Erection Problems
Peyronie’s disease can cause problems getting or keeping an erection (erectile dysfunction). However, men often report erectile dysfunction before the onset of La Peyronie’s disease symptoms.
Shortening of the Penis
The penis could shorten as a result of Peyronie’s disease.
Pain
You can feel pain in the penis, with or without an erection.
Other Deformities of the Penis
In about men with Peyronie’s disease, the erect penis may have a narrowing, indentation, or even an hourglass appearance, with a tight, narrow band around the shaft of the penis.
The curvature and shortening of the penis associated with Peyronie’s disease may get progressively worse. However, at some point, the condition stabilizes, usually after about three to 12 months.
Pain during erections usually improves within a year or two, but scar tissue, penis fat, and curvature often remain. In about men, both the curvature and pain related to Peyronie’s disease improve without treatment.
Causes of Peyronie’s Disease
The cause of Peyronie’s disease is not fully understood, but there appear to be several factors involved.
Peyronie’s disease generally believes to be the result of repeated injury to the penis. For example, the penis can damage during sexual intercourse, athletic activity, or as a result of an accident. However, in most suitcases, no specific trauma to the penis is remembered.
During the healing process after an injury to the penis, scar tissue forms in a disorganized way. It can lead to a lump that can felt or the development of curvature.
Each side of the penis contains a spongy tube (corpus cavernosum) that contains many tiny blood vessels.
Each of the corpora cavernosa wraps in a sheath of elastic tissue called the tunica albuginea, extending during an erection.
When you sexually arouse, the blood flow to these chambers rises. As the chambers seal with blood, the penis enlarges, straightens, and hardens into an erection.
In Peyronie’s disease, when the penis develops erect, the region with the scar tissue does not stretch, and the penis becomes bent or disfigured and possibly becomes painful.
Peyronie’s disease appears gradually in some men and does not appear to be related to an injury. Researchers are investigating whether Peyronie’s disease could be related to an inherited trait or certain health conditions.
Risk Factor’s of Peyronie’s Disease
Minor injuries to the penis do not continuously lead to La Peyronie’s disease. However, several factors can contribute to poor wound healing and scar tissue accumulation that may play a role in Peyronie’s disease. Some of them are the following:
Heritage
If a family member has La Peyronie’s disease, you are at higher risk for it.
Connective Tissue Disorders
Men with certain connective tissue disorders appear to be at higher risk for La Peyronie’s disease. For example, some men with Peyronie’s disease also have a cord-like thickening across the palm that reasons the fingers to pull inward (Dupuytren’s contracture).
Age
Peyronie’s disease can happen in men of any age, but the prevalence of the condition increases with age, especially in men between the ages of 50 and 60. Curvature in young men is less often due to Peyronie’s disease and is more commonly called congenital curvature of the penis. A small amount of curvature in young men is average and not a concern.
Other factors, such as certain conditions, smoking, and some types of prostate surgery, could be related to La Peyronie’s disease.
What are the Complications of Peyronie’s Disease?
Complications of Peyronie’s disease may include the following:
Inability to have sex;
Difficulty getting or keeping an erection (erectile dysfunction);
Anxiety or stress near-sexual aptitudes or the arrival of the penis;
Stress in your relationship with your sexual partner;
Difficulty fathering a child because sexual intercourse is difficult or impossible;
Reduction in penis length;
Penis pain.
Diagnosis of Peyronie’s Disease
A physical examination is usually sufficient to identify scar tissue’s presence on the penis and diagnose Peyronie’s disease. In rare cases, other conditions cause similar symptoms and need to rule out.
Tests to diagnose Peyronie’s disease and understand what is causing the symptoms may include the following:
Physical Exploration
The doctor will feel the penis when it is not erect to identify the location and amount of scar tissue. The doctor may also amount the length of your penis. If the condition continues to get worse, this initial measurement helps determine if the penis has shortened.
The doctor may also ask you to bring photos of your erect penis taken at home. It can determine the degree of curvature, scar tissue location, or other details that could help identify the best treatment approach.
Other Tests
The doctor may instruct an ultrasound or other tests to examine the penis when it is erect. Before the test, you will likely receive an injection directly into the penis that causes an erection.
Ultrasound is the most usually used test to detect abnormalities of the penis. Ultrasound tests use sound waves to produce pictures of soft tissues. These tests can show scar tissue, blood flow to the penis, and any other abnormalities.
What is the Treatment of Peyronie’s Disease?
Treatment recommendations for it depend on how long it has been since you started having symptoms.
Acute Phase
You have pain in the penis or changes in the curvature or length or a deformity of the penis. The acute stage happens early in the disease and can last only two to four weeks, but occasionally it lasts up to a year or more.
Chronic Phase
The symptoms are stable, and you have no pain in the penis or changes in the curvature, length, or deformity of the penis. The chronic phase occurs later in the disease and generally occurs about three to 12 months after indications begin.
For the severe phase of the disease, treatments range from:
Recommended: When used early in the disease procedure, penile traction therapy prevents loss of length and minimizes the curvature’s extent.
Optional: Medical and dose therapies are optional in this phase; some are more effective than others.
Surgery does not recommend until the disease stabilizes to avoid the need for repeat surgery.
For the chronic phase of the disease, there are several possible treatments. They can be done alone or in combination:
Watchful waiting
Injection treatments
Traction therapy
Surgery
Oral medications are not recommended in the chronic phase, as they are not effective in this disease stage. Shock wave trend therapy, stem cells, and platelet-rich plasma have also not shown to be effective in human studies.
Medicines
Several oral medications try to treat Peyronie’s disease, but they are not consistently effective and are not as effective as surgery.
In some men, medications injected directly into the penis may reduce the curvature and pain associated with Peyronie’s disease. Depending on the therapy, you may give a local anesthetic to prevent pain during injections.
If you have one of these treatments, you will likely receive multiple injections over several months. Injectable medications can also use in combination with oral drugs or traction therapies.
Medications include the following:
Collagenase: The only FDA-approved drug for Peyronie’s disease is clostridium histolyticum collagenase (Xiaflex). This drug approves for use in adult men with moderate to severe curvatures and a palpable nodule.
This therapy showed to improve the curvature and uncomfortable symptoms associated with Peyronie’s disease. The treatment works by breaking down the collagen build-up that causes the penis to curve. Collagenase appears to be most effective when used in conjunction with “shaping,” which is the forced flexing of the penis in the fold’s opposite direction.
Verapamil: This is a medicine that typically use to treat high blood pressure. It appears to disrupt collagen production, a protein that may be a critical factor in forming Peyronie’s disease scar tissue. The drug is well tolerated and can also reduce pain.
Interferon: This is a kind of protein that seems to disrupt fibrous tissue production and help break it down. A placebo-controlled trial showed improvement in patients on this treatment compared to those on placebo. Interferon has also been shown to reduce penis pain in men with Peyronie’s disease.
Traction Therapy
Penile traction therapy consists of stretching the penis with a mechanical device of personal application for a certain period to improve the length, curvature, and deformity of the penis.
Depending on the exact device, traction therapy may want to be used anywhere from 30 minutes to three to eight hours a day to achieve benefits. The effectiveness of the treatment may also depend on the specific device used.
Traction therapy recommends in the early phase of La Peyronie’s disease. It is the only treatment that shows to improve penis length. Traction therapy can also use in the chronic stage of the disease, combined with other medicines or after surgery for a better result.
Other Treatments
A technique known as Iontophoresis uses an electrical current to deliver a combination of verapamil and a non-invasive steroid through the skin. Available research has shown conflicting consequences on penile curvature and erectile function.
Several non-drug treatments for Peyronie’s disease investigate, but the evidence is limited to report how well they work and their possible side effects. These include intense sound waves to disrupt scar tissue (shock wave therapy), stem cells, platelet-rich plasma, and radiation therapy.
When to See the Doctor
Visit your doctor as soon as likely after you notice signs or symptoms of Peyronie’s disease. Early treatment gives you a fair chance to improve the condition or prevent it from getting worse.
If you’ve had the state for some time, you may want to see a doctor if the pain, curvature, distance, or other deformities bother you or your partner.
Conclusion
Research is underway to assist scientists in understanding better what causes it. Researchers hope their investigation into the procedure will lead them to effective therapy to help men with Peyronie’s disease.
You can understand the condition and take the necessary steps to improve life quality — both in and outside the bedroom.
