Peyronie's disease can cause impotence

When you get an erection, arteries bring blood to the spongy tissue in your penis. The blood fills this tissue and makes your penis hard.

Failure to get an erection that is hard enough for sexual intercourse is called erectile dysfunction (ED), or impotence.

Sometimes the process doesn't work the way it should. Damaged arteries, blood vessels, and nerves can prevent or obstruct blood flow to your penis. In a few cases, a psychological problem may interfere with erection.

One physical problem than can cause incomplete erection and erectile dysfunction is Peyronie's disease, often called penile curvature.

A man with Peyronie's disease has hardened or "calcified" tissues in his penis. These tissues are called plaque. The hardening is in the tunica abluginea. This is the sheath surrounding the spongy tissue in the penis. The hardening often causes pain and curvature, usually during erection.

3% of men may have Peyronie's disease

The condition usually occurs between age 45 and 60. The average age is 50, but it can occur in men as young as 18.

Nearly 3% of all men may have Peyronie's disease. Doctors think that many men with Peyronie's disease do not look for help because the symptoms are mild or they are too embarrassed.

A total of 20 patients with Peyronie's disease, including 15 with erectile failure and 5 with normal potency, underwent evaluation with dynamic xenon washout and infusion cavernosography. Abnormal drainage from the cavernous body was found in 13 of the 15 patients with erectile failure and in none of the 5 potent patients (p less than 0.01), indicating that this condition seems to be the underlying pathological mechanism leading to erectile impotence in patients with Peyronie's disease. Metz P, Ebbeh?j J, Uhrenholdt A, Wagner G.Symptoms Peyronie's disease has three main symptoms:

* Pain
* Lumps in the penis
* Curvature or "angulation" of the penis during erection

These symptoms are not all present in every case. The symptoms may also vary in severity.

Peyronie's disease may start with pain in your erect penis. At this point, you may feel firm lumps in the shaft of your penis. Usually, these lumps are the small areas of plaque forming in the shaft.

As the plaques develop, you will see a bending of your penis during erections. In severe cases, the bending can make sex impossible or uncomfortable for you and your partner. It can also cause worry and anxiety. This in turn can lead to erectile dysfunction.

Causes

Doctors don't know all of the causes of Peyronie's disease. Sudden cases often are caused by trauma to the penis, such as injury or extremely vigorous sexual activity.