PEYRONIE’S DISEASE CAN CAUSE ERECTION PROBLEMS

Peyronie’s disease, named for the doctor who discovered it, can also cause erection problems. Most often, this condition occurs in middle-aged men, who usually show up in the doctor’s office complaining of a penis that curves to one side when erect. Sometimes this curvature makes intercourse difficult. Sometimes there is also pain that disappears when the erection does. And some patients can actually feel a lump in their penis. (They usually think they have cancer, but growths caused by Peyronie’s disease are not cancerous.)

Not all men with Peyronie’s disease become impotent, but some do. Sometimes the disease appears to be caused by injury to the penis, and even, according to some experts, by medications. And there appears to be a genetic component, since it sometimes runs in families.

For reasons doctors don’t fully understand, the disease causes scarring in the corpora cavernosa, those all-important cylinders in the penis which must fill up with blood for erections to occur. This scarring can create the lumps, bending and pain which are the hallmarks of the illness.

A whole variety of treatments have been tried to stop the progress of the disease, including medication, radiation, injection of steroids into the penis and surgical removal of the lumps, but none have been proven particularly effective. About half of all patients get better over time (usually after about a year), so it’s important to take the most conservative approach you can live with. If you do decide to try any type of treatment, be sure you’re well informed about all the possible consequences. You may want to get a second (or third) opinion before proceeding. If severe bending with erection persists, an operation to straighten the penis may offer a permanent solution. In some cases, a penile implant may be necessary.