Peyronie's Disease is caused by scar tissues called plaque that form inside of the penis.
These scars can be easily palpated as a lump and tend to be tender for a few months during the initial phase of the disease. This can result in a curvature of the penis.
Most men who suffer from Peyronie's Disease are still able to have sex, although for some men it can become painful or cause erectile dysfunction. Depending on the symptoms you have, you may opt for medical or surgical treatments.
Peyronie's Disease plaques cause loss of elasticity of the tunica of the penis and this reduces the capacity of the penis to stretch during erections. Patients therefore frequently report penile shortening and deformity such as curvature and narrowing of the shaft penis, which become visible during erections. In flaccidity, the lumps can still be palpated, but the deformity is not visible.
What Causes Peyronie's Disease?
Although Doctors are not entirely sure exactly why this disease happens, researchers do believe that those fibrous plaques could begin to be formed after a trauma to the penis - such as blunt force trauma, bending or hitting - that would cause bleeding inside the penis. Unfortunately, you may not notice the injury, and the plaques would being to form over time.
There have also been studies that show Peyronie's Disease can be inherited genetically, so for some men family history could be a factor. Some medications have been known to list Peyronie's Disease as a possible rare side effect. However, there is no evidence that medications cause the condition to occur.
Peyronie's disease is frequently associated with other known cardiovascular risk factors, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, obesity and tobacco smoke. It is now established that more than 60% of patients have at least one known cardiovascular risk factor.
Our Uro-Andrology department is led by Dr. Giulio Garaffa, an award-winning Consultant Uro-Andrologist with over 20 years’ international medical experience in this field. Dr. Garaffa has a global reputation for his excellence in urology and andrology and is one of the leading experts in the fields of erectile dysfunction, congenital penile curvature, complex penile reconstruction, phalloplasty, Peyronie’s disease, male infertility and microsurgery.