Peyronie's Disease - What Causes It?

Peyronie's disease is a male genital problem predominantly found in 3-9% of adult men, especially after 40 years of age. In the disease, a scar tissue is formed in the outer layer of the penis called Tunica Albuginea. Scar tissue is a just plaque inside the penis.

Peyronie's disease causes the penis to bend sideways or upwards and can make sex become difficult due to deformity and erection may be a painful process. It is usually associated with erectile dysfunctions, severe anxiety and reduced testosterone levels. It is worth noting that there are treatments for Peyronie's disease, however, the pain often goes away on its own, generally, in 6-18 months of onset, but the deformity stays.

Here is everything you need to know about this disease:

Causes

It is not known exactly what causes Peyronie's disease, however, there are some factors, which make it more likely than others. Here are those factors:

1. Trauma: This is the most common factor which causes Peyronie's disease. It is believed that when someone suffers from tiny bleeding of the penis, which is very common in patients of Diabetes, the plaque starts to build up. The injury or trauma, which causes the bleeding may go unnoticed as well.

2. Genes: Genes are also a possible cause of Peyronie's disease.

Symptoms

The symptoms of Peyronie's disease vary, such as:

1. Pain on Erection: There is usually pain in erection during the initial phase.

2. Bent penis: When the penis becomes hard before sex, it may bend downwards or sideways by more than 15 degree, so the vaginal entry becomes impossible or is painful for the partner.

3. Scars: Tissue may form on other parts of the body, as well including the hand and feet. In fact, it has been said that men who have scarring in the hand, which affect the fingers are more likely to contract the disease as well.

One may see extensive scarring in hands in a disease called Dupuytren's Contracture. 

Treatment

1. Wait & Watch: It is worth noting the acute phase with pain is treated by wait and watch, controlling contributory factors like diabetes, low testosterone and psychogenic factors. Antioxidants are useful. Large number of cases are relieved of the pain in 1 to 1.5 years.

2. Intralesional injection: If the bend is significant enough to interfere in sexual functioning, It can be treated by injecting medicines in the plaque. The medicine, Xiaflex is currently not available in India and other medicines given are not very effective.

3. Surgery: This is a last option when Peyronie's disease has not gone on it's own and medicines are not helping either. The two most common procedures performed are removing the plaque and putting a tissue graft in its place and also removing the tissue opposite the plaque to counter the bending effect. The results are fairly good.

Going for a Penile implant is the last option, which is a permanent solution and is commonly done in India. And, the success rate for Penile implant is also very high.