Peyronie’s (pay-roe-NEEZ) disease is the development of fibrous scar tissue inside the penis that causes curved, painful erections. Penises vary in shape and size, and having a curved erection isn’t necessarily a cause for concern. But Peyronie’s disease causes a significant bend or pain in some men.
Peyronie’s Disease
Curious about Peyronie’s Disease?
What is Peyronie's Disease?
Peyronie’s disease is caused by repeated penile injury, typically during sex or physical activity.
Penises vary in shape and size, and having a curved erection isn’t necessarily a cause for concern. In Peyronie’s disease, the bend is significant and may occur along with pain or interfere with sexual function. It also has two stages: the acute and chronic phase.
What are the symptoms?
Peyronie’s disease plaques mostly (70% of the time) form on the top (or dorsal side) of the penis. The plaques make the tunica albuginea less flexible and may cause the erect penis to bend upwards. When plaques form on the bottom or side of the penis, the bend will be downward or sideways. Some men have more than- plaque, which may cause complex curves.
- Other signs that you may have Peyronie’s disease are:
- bent or curved penis
- lumps in the penis
- painful erections
- soft erections
- having trouble with sex because of a bent/curved penis
What are the causes of Peyronie's Disease?
Peyronie’s disease is likely caused by minor injury to the penis. (See penile trauma.) This type of damage is most often caused by vigorous sexual intercourse (such as bending the penis during penetration or pressure from a partner’s pubic bone), though it can also be caused by sports or other accidents. Injury to the tunica albuginea may result in scar tissue forming in the cells (fibrosis). This scar tissue then forms the plaque of Peyronie’s disease. Peyronie’s disease is the result of a problem in the way the body heals wounds.
Diagnosis & Treatment?
Your health care provider may be able to tell if you have Peyronie’s disease with only a physical exam. The hard plaques can most often be felt whether the penis is stiff or not. To check how the penis curves, your health care provider may inject a drug into your penis to make it stiff, and may take pictures for study. In some cases dynamic ultrasound, which uses sound waves to get a picture of what’s in your body, is used to see where the plaque is, check for calcium buildup, and show how the blood flows in your penis.
Treatments:
- Medication
- Shockwave treatment in combination with PRP
Peyronie's Disease FAQs
Researchers estimate that Peyronie’s disease may affect 1 to 23 percent of men between 40 and 70 years of age. However, the actual occurrence of Peyronie’s disease may be higher due to men’s embarrassment and health care providers’ limited reporting. The disease is rare in young men, although it has been reported in men in their 30s. The chance of developing Peyronie’s disease increases with age
Some men with Peyronie’s disease (about 13 out of 100) get fibrosis in other parts of the body. The most common sites are the hands and feet. Dupuytren’s contracture, in which fibrosis occurs in the tissue of the palm, is one health problem linked to Peyronie’s disease. Dupuytren’s contracture may lead to permanent bending of the outer fingers. It isn’t clear what causes plaque to form in either disease, or why men with Peyronie’s disease are more likely to get Dupuytren’s contracture.
Cells taken from Peyronie’s plaques act like cancer cells in some ways, such as not dying normally and forming tumors when put into mice with no immune systems. But there has never been a case of Peyronie’s disease that has turned into a cancer in a human.
If you have other symptoms that aren’t often seen with Peyronie’s disease, such as external bleeding, trouble peeing, or penile pain that lasts for a long time, your health care provider may take a sample of the tissue (biopsy) for further study.
The following factors may increase a man’s chance of developing Peyronie’s disease:
- Vigorous sexual or nonsexual activities that cause microscopic injury to the penis
- Certain autoimmune and connective tissue disorders
- A family history of Peyronie’s disease
- General aging
- Diabetes-related erectile dysfunction
- Having had surgical treatments for prostate cancer
