I have an embarrassing condition that is also worrying me: my penis has taken on a slight curve. I take various heart tablets and I wonder i...
I have an embarrassing condition that is also worrying me: my penis has taken on a slight curve.
I take various heart tablets and I wonder if that has any bearing on it?
I have read that in serious cases an operation may be necessary. I have been to see my doctor about this, but I was told that it’s nothing serious and I was told not to worry about it...
Name and address withheld.
Around 20 per cent of men with Peyronie's will also have Dupuytren's contracture. The condition that causes this symptom is called Peyronie’s disease, which was first described in 1743 by the physician to King Louis XIV of France.Around 20 per cent of men with Peyronie’s will also have Dupuytren’s contracture — a condition that causes the fingers on one or both hands to distort and flex into a bent position.
Both conditions occur when collagen, the protein that normally helps bind tissue together, forms nodules or cords of scar tissue — either in the palm, as with Dupuytren’s contracture, or, as with yourself, in the spongy erectile tissue of the penis.
The scar tissue may also form on the sole of the foot (when it’s called Ledderhose disease), causing a similar distortion to Dupuytren’s in the hand.
Although the cause is unknown, these conditions have possible genetic origins.
The symptoms of Peyronie’s include pain, curvature on erection and having thickened nodules (referred to as plaques) in the soft tissue of the penis. This hard scar tissue, by its nature, causes inelasticity, so when the spongy tissue fills with blood the erection looks distorted. Studies have shown that in about 10 per cent of men the problem resolves over a year or two; but in about 50 per cent the curvature slowly worsens as the scar tissue continues to form, and tightens and contracts.
A doctor can diagnose the condition simply by asking about a patient’s history and performing an examination.
For treatment, most GPs will feel that referral to a urologist is best, for although a significant number of men are affected — about 5 per cent — most generalists, which is what we GPs are, do not have sufficient experience in this to be able to advise. Watchful waiting is an option for those who have only a mild curvature — less that 30 degrees — and who still have satisfactory erectile function. But if it worsens, then an expert opinion to consider further treatment is necessary.
This might include treatment with pentoxifylline, a drug that blocks the growth factors involved in the development of the collagen cords.
There have also been trials showing some improvement with the drug verapamil, which is injected directly into the cords of scar tissue. Some men may undergo surgery.
The conventional method, ‘Nesbit plication’, involves making a tuck in the lining of the penis opposite the curve, which pulls everything back towards the centre. This does make the penis shorter overall, around 1cm for every ten degrees of curvature. There’s another, newer operation where the collagen cords are divided in half, then spread out, with healthy tissue inserted between the gaps. This is highly specialised work, and is certainly not the first or immediate option for anyone with the condition, but it can be helpful in certain selected cases.
Although as you say this is embarrassing — it’s never easy to talk about erections — do talk to your doctor (male or female) again, as we have heard it all before, and for any GP it is routine.
I take various heart tablets and I wonder if that has any bearing on it?
I have read that in serious cases an operation may be necessary. I have been to see my doctor about this, but I was told that it’s nothing serious and I was told not to worry about it...
Name and address withheld.
 |
| Embarrassing problem men won't talk about! |
Both conditions occur when collagen, the protein that normally helps bind tissue together, forms nodules or cords of scar tissue — either in the palm, as with Dupuytren’s contracture, or, as with yourself, in the spongy erectile tissue of the penis.
The scar tissue may also form on the sole of the foot (when it’s called Ledderhose disease), causing a similar distortion to Dupuytren’s in the hand.
Although the cause is unknown, these conditions have possible genetic origins.
The symptoms of Peyronie’s include pain, curvature on erection and having thickened nodules (referred to as plaques) in the soft tissue of the penis. This hard scar tissue, by its nature, causes inelasticity, so when the spongy tissue fills with blood the erection looks distorted. Studies have shown that in about 10 per cent of men the problem resolves over a year or two; but in about 50 per cent the curvature slowly worsens as the scar tissue continues to form, and tightens and contracts.
A doctor can diagnose the condition simply by asking about a patient’s history and performing an examination.
For treatment, most GPs will feel that referral to a urologist is best, for although a significant number of men are affected — about 5 per cent — most generalists, which is what we GPs are, do not have sufficient experience in this to be able to advise. Watchful waiting is an option for those who have only a mild curvature — less that 30 degrees — and who still have satisfactory erectile function. But if it worsens, then an expert opinion to consider further treatment is necessary.
This might include treatment with pentoxifylline, a drug that blocks the growth factors involved in the development of the collagen cords.
The conventional method, ‘Nesbit plication’, involves making a tuck in the lining of the penis opposite the curve, which pulls everything back towards the centre. This does make the penis shorter overall, around 1cm for every ten degrees of curvature. There’s another, newer operation where the collagen cords are divided in half, then spread out, with healthy tissue inserted between the gaps. This is highly specialised work, and is certainly not the first or immediate option for anyone with the condition, but it can be helpful in certain selected cases.
Although as you say this is embarrassing — it’s never easy to talk about erections — do talk to your doctor (male or female) again, as we have heard it all before, and for any GP it is routine.
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