Statistics Regarding Peyronie's
One research study found Peyronie's in 1 percent of men. Peyronie's occurs mostly in middle-age men, but younger and older men can develop it as well.
About 30 percent of men with Peyronie's develop fibrosis (hardened cells) in other elastic tissues of the body, such as on the hand or foot. A common example is a condition known as Dupuytren's contracture of the hand.
In some cases, men who are related by blood tend to develop Peyronie's, which suggests that genetic factors might make a man vulnerable to the condition.
Men with Peyronie's usually seek medical attention because of painful erections and difficulty with intercourse. As the cause of Peyronie's and its development are not well understood,
Peyronie's treatment is usually empirical, meaning that doctors prescribe and continue methods that seem to help.
The goal of Peyronie's therapy is to keep the patient sexually active. Providing education about Peyronie's and its course is often all that's required.
No strong evidence shows that any treatment other than surgery for Peyronie's is effective. Experts usually recommend surgery only in long-term cases in which the disease has stabilized and the deformity prevents intercourse.
A French surgeon, François de la Peyronie, first described the disease in 1743. The problem was noted in print as early as 1687. Early writers classified it as a form of
impotence, now called
erectile dysfunction (
ED). Peyronie's can be associated with
erection problems like ED; however, experts now recognize ED as only one factor associated with the disease -- a factor that is not always present.
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