14 DAY TRIAL // About one in 100 men is affected by something you may have never heard of: Peyronie's disease.
Peyronie's disease is a connective tissue disorder translated into the growth of fibrous plaques in the soft tissue of the penis and which induces throbbing erections and difficult sexual intercourse.
Doctors usually appeal to surgery only in long-term cases when the infection is stabilized and the distortion impedes intercourse.
The causes of Peyronie's are not clearly known, but it may be induced by damage to the inner cavity of the penis, resulting in an over production of scar tissue in the corpora cavernosa and an abnormal twist of the penis. Trying to bend or force the erect penis back to its former shape can provoke serious injury and significantly worsens the condition.
The most common causes for penis injuries are reported to be bending it during the intercourse, especially when the woman is on the top, during sports activities where an accidental impact took place or by drumming the penis. Some consider the disease to be genetic as it was reported in men who refute any sexual activity or physical wound.
About 30 % of men with Peyronie's disease display fibrosis in other elastic tissues of the body, like on the hand or foot, including Dupuytren's contracture of the hand, pointing to a hereditary component of the disease.
Peyronie's appears as a plaque or hard lumps formed on the upper or on the lower side of the penis in the erectile tissue. At the beginning, the plaque can be like an irritation which hardens and transforms into a mark. But most cases develop slowly or even vanish on their own, but symptoms may expand into view overnight.
Peyronie's can vary from mild to severe. While most men will continue to be able to have sexual relations, they are likely to experience some degree of deformity and erectile dysfunction in the wake of the disease process.
In severe cases, the main sexual problem determined by the interruption of a couple's physical connection leads to emotional issues, depression and lowered self-esteem for the man. A mental health professional is often necessary besides the medical treatment.
Peyronie's occurs mainly in men aged 40-60 years. The scar tissue is hard and inelastic, unlike the elastic erectile tissues of the penis permitting expansion and reduction for erection. In time, increased scar tissue mass starts pulling or contracting the penis, inducing hard lumps or a curvature deformity. In up to 40% of cases, the scar does not bypass the bulge stage, and does not require treatment.
For severe cases, oral medication with vitamin E has been tested, but without effective results. Other medications are acetyl l-carnitine, propionyl l-carnitine, l-arginine, viagra, cialis and pentoxifylline.
In severe cases, if the plaque does not respond to medication only, it must be removed surgically. The tissue above the ex-plague must be grafted with the man's own tissue, sterilized pork tissue, or sterilized tissue donation from a cadaver.
Another solution is to leave the plaque, but remove the tissue on the other side of the penis to cancel the bending, but this shortens the penis's length and not many patients would be happy about it. Still, both surgeries leave most patients with sexual dysfunction.