Are You at Risk for Peyronie’s Disease?

You may have noticed some recent ads on TV about Peyronie’s disease. Many people had never even heard about Peyronie’s, but it is believed that up to 23% of men are suffering from this inflammatory disease.

What Is Peyronie’s Disease?

Peyronie’s disease is an inflammatory disease that causes the penis to bend abnormally. There may be pain during an erection and intercourse due to the severe curve. The condition can develop slowly over time or occur suddenly almost overnight.

Men with Peyronie’s may notice a bend in their penis that points upward, downward, or to the side. This effect is caused by plaques or flat scar tissue that forms under the skin of the penis. These plaques can also collect calcium and become hard to touch. In some cases, the disease may even cause the formation of lumps along the penis.

Peyronie’s can lead to erectile dysfunction in some men, though not in every individual.

What Causes Peyronie’s Disease?

It is believed that minor trauma and inflammation of the penis are the leading causes of this disease. Such damage can occur during a vigorous sexual encounter, a microtrauma from a bent penis during penetration (a penis that is not fully erect), a trauma to the penis or pelvic area, penile surgery, or a sports injury.

The scar tissue from the trauma leads to the formation of plaques that are known to cause Peyronie’s disease. In effect, Peyronie’s is the result of the body’s inability to properly and effectively heal from a wound.

Risk Factors for Peyronie’s Disease

Your risk factors include injury, age, or a known health problem that is associated with inflammation and scarring in addition to wound healing issues.

Why You May Have a Wound Healing Disorder

• The body’s trouble in naturally recovering from an injury can be hereditary. If someone in a man’s family has had Peyronie’s disease, they are more likely to develop it as well.
• Age is a factor since the older a man gets, the more likely he is to develop scar tissue development during the healing process.
• Someone with a connective tissue problem like Dupuytren’s contracture (where the two fingers farthest from the thumb become deformed and bent inward) is at a higher risk to develop Peyronie’s disease.

Cardiovascular Disease Issues

All the issues associated with cardiovascular disease are also associated with Peyronie’s disease, including the following:

• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• High cholesterol

Lifestyle Risk Factors

Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, unprotected sex, and exposure to inflammatory sexually transmitted diseases or STDs can all contribute to the development of Peyronie’s disease.