Peyronie’s disease: frequently asked questions

What is Peyronie’s disease?

Peyronie’s disease is the presence of fibrous plaques within the shaft of the penis. The plaques are formed in the tissue surrounding the main erectile bodies, the Tunica Albuginea, thus with erections the plaque will cause bending and angulation of the penis. Sometimes the bending is so marked that it makes sexual intercourse impossible. This rare condition affects up to 1 % of the male population.

The exact cause is not yet fully understood and many factors are thought to be involved. There may in some cases be a family history or the patient themselves have Dupuytren’s Contracture, where there are similar fibrotic plaques in the palm of the hand.

The condition can affect men of any age and present with varying degrees of curvature and severity, which is most visible when the penis is erect.

Why is it called Peyronie’s disease?

Peyronie’s disease was named after Francois Gigot de la Peyronie, who in 1743 described the characteristic fibrotic, sometimes calcified plaque, under the skin of the penis.

What are the main effects of the disease?

The three main symptoms of Peyronie’s disease are pain with erections, a palpable lump in the shaft of the penis and curvature of the penis with erections. This condition may be frequently associated whit a variable degree of erectile dysfunction. Not all these symptoms may be present and their severity can vary widely.

Pain may occur initially with erections and subside without treatment. At this stage, the patient may start to become aware of a thickening in the shaft of his penis. As the plaque develops, the penis may become more noticeably curved when erect. If this curvature increases to a severe angle sexual intercourse may become uncomfortable for both partners or impossible.

Some patients may develop erectile dysfunction problems with the development of Peyronie’s disease, this may have a psychological element secondary to the physical changes caused by the disease.

Who can get Peyronie's disease?

Any man can develop Peyronie’s disease. The average age of onset is 50 years, but it can occur in men as young as 18 years.

How common is the condition?

This condition affects as many as two per cent of the population. Many men are however too embarrassed or afraid to go to their doctor.

What should I do if I think I have Peyronie's disease?

Go to see your doctor as soon as you feel any pain or abnormal lumps in your penis. If Peyronie’s disease is diagnosed, ask your doctor to explain about the condition and the treatment options that are available.

If your doctor is unable to answer your questions, request a referral to a consultant with a special interest in male sexual health problems.

Sometimes, in 13 per cent of patients the disease will clear by itself, but this may take several years. However, there are treatments available and the sooner the condition is treated the earlier it can be helped.

What should I do if I think I have Peyronie's disease?

What are the treatment options?

It is important to remember that many men with Peyronie’s disease do not require any treatment.

Over the years a large number of medical treatments have been used, but no single treatment has been shown to be effective in all cases. This can be mainly attributed to the fact, that despite of many years of research, the aetiology of this condition still remains obscure. Few randomized trials have demonstrated that, in the early stages of the disease, medical therapies, such as colchicine, vitamine E, potassium paraminobenzoate, tamoxifen, and injection therapy with verapamil may promote a faster resolution of the active phase of the disease.

In particular, oral Tamoxifen has been shown to produce an improvement by preventing the formation of fibrous plaque, (although this drug is also given for the treatment of breast cancer the two conditions are not related).

Verapamil instead, a calcium channel blocker often used in the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure), has been shown to decrease the plaque size and pain in Peyronie’s disease when injected directly into the plaque.

Find out more

▸ Read about surgical and non-surgical treatments for Peyronie's disease