Peyronie’s disease – symptoms and causes

This section describes the symptoms and causes of Peyronie’s disease. A further section describes the treatments for Peyronie’s disease.

Peyronie’s disease is caused by damage to the penile tissue creating a scarring under the skin, known as a plaque. Depending upon the size and location of the plaque, it can cause the penis to bend upwards, downwards or become indented.

Although the term Peyronie’s disease is not widely known, the condition is fairly common, affecting approximately three per cent of men. It can occur at any age, but most often affects men in their forties and fifties.

Symptoms of Peyronie’s disease

There are two distinct stages of Peyronie’s disease, known as the acute inflammatory stage and the chronic stage. During the first stage, there are three main symptoms:

• Pain during erections.
• Thickening of scar tissue under the skin.
• Curve of the erect penis.

The inflammation causes scar tissue to develop, known as plaque, which is not able to stretch like normal tissue. This means that when the penis elongates during an erection, the inflexible scar tissue makes the penis bend. The bend is normally towards the abdomen and varies in severity. Pain subsides once this inflammatory phase is over. This stage normally lasts about six months.

During the second phase, known as the chronic stage, the deformity and scar will stabilise. The degree of deformity varies widely. For men with a minor deformity, there is no need for surgery. But many men experience sexual dysfunction, due to the degree of curvature in the penis and often accompanying psychological factors. If the penis bends to 60 degrees or more, sexual intercourse may not be possible.

Causes of Peyronie’s disease

The causes of Peyronie’s disease are not fully understood, although a number of risk factors are known to be linked to the condition. One theory is that it occurs when the microtrauma from repeated stresses of sexual intercourse is combined with the failure of normal wound healing processes.

Infection may be a factor and some people have a genetic predisposition to the condition. There is a strong link to fibrosis or scarring of other tissues in the body in a condition known as Dupuytren's contracture of the hand.

Studies have also assessed risk factors and found that smokers are more likely to develop the condition. Having a vascular disease or condition may also lead to an increased risk of Peyronie’s disease.

Find out more

▸ Read about surgical and non-surgical treatments for Peyronie's disease
▸ Read our Peyronie's disease frequently asked questions
▸ Please contact us if you have further questions about the symptoms and causes of Peyronie’s disease or see our section on the treatments for Peyronie’s disease.