Peyronie’s disease is a disorder in which scar tissue, called plaque, forms under the skin of the penis causing pain and inability for sex.
The plaque builds up inside the penis, in the thick elastic membrane called the tunica albuginea. The tunica albuginea helps keep the penis stiff during an erection. The plaque can develop anywhere along the penis.
As it develops, the plaque pulls on the surrounding tissues and causes the penis to curve or bend, usually during an erection. Curves in the penis can make erections painful and may make sexual intercourse painful, difficult, or impossible.
What are the signs and symptoms of Peyronie’s disease?
The signs and symptoms of Peyronie’s disease may include:
- hard lumps on one or more sides of the penis;
- pain during sexual intercourse or during an erection;
- a curve in the penis with or without an erection;
- changes in the shape of the penis, such as narrowing or shortening;
- ED.
These may develop slowly or appear quickly and can be mild to severe. In many cases, the pain decreases over time, although the curve in the penis may remain. Problems with intercourse or ED can occur during any phase.
What causes Peyronie’s disease?
Medical experts do not know the exact cause of Peyronie’s disease but believe that it may be the result of
- acute or chronic injury to the penis;
- autoimmune disease.
Peyronie’s disease is not contagious or caused by any known transmittable disease.
Diagnosis
Your health care provider may be able to tell if you have Peyronie’s disease with only a physical exam. The hard plaques can most often be felt whether the penis is stiff or not. To check how the penis curves, your health care provider may inject a drug into your penis to make it stiff and may take pictures to study.
In some cases, dynamic ultrasound, which uses sound waves to get a picture of what is in your body, is used to see where the plaque is, check for calcium buildup, and show how the blood flows in your penis.
For the chronic phase of the disease, several potential treatments are available. They may be done alone or in combination:
- watchful waiting;
- PRP shot;
- regenerative therapy;
- surgery.
If you have other symptoms that are not often seen with Peyronie’s disease, such as external bleeding, trouble peeing, or penile pain that lasts for a long time, a doctor may take a sample of the tissue (biopsy) for further study.
The PRP Shot for Peyronie`s Disease
Peyronie`s disease is a prevalent disease in men caused by the formation of fibrous scar tissue inside the penis. The plaque is the reason behind the curving of the penis which subsequently causes very painful erections.
PRP Shot is a clinically proven, non-surgical Peyronie’s Disease treatment. Following PRP Shot administration, the plaque gets dissolved allowing the curve to be straightened, and sexual functions are restored. This disease is very common, but there’s no need to just “live with it.”
Other Treatments
A doctor may recommend medications — often drugs injected into the penis — or even surgery if you’re experiencing more pain or penis curvature over time.
Medication
Only one medication, clostridium hystolyticum (Xiaflex), is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat the condition. It’s approved for use in people whose penis curves more than 30 degrees during erection.
The treatment involves a series of penile injections that break down the buildup of collagen.
Two other types of medicines that may be prescribed are:
injectable verapamil, which is usually used to treat high blood pressure
interferon injections, which help break down fibrous tissue
Nonsurgical Options
Nondrug treatments are being investigated, such as:
- shockwave therapy to break up scar tissue
- penile traction therapy to stretch the penis
- vacuum devices
People being treated with Xiaflex may benefit from gentle penile exercises. For 6 weeks after treatment, you should do two activities:
Stretch the penis when not erect, three times daily for 30 seconds per stretch. Straighten the penis when experiencing a spontaneous erection unrelated to sexual activity for 30 seconds, once daily.
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