The Beginnings of Peyronie’s Disease
It is pretty obvious that the exact cause of Peyronie’s disease has not been determined yet but there has been a lot of research done on this particular disease and many different questions have been answered via the research findings.
One of the most asked questions of individuals that have Peyronie’s disease is going to be: what causes a penis that is erect to bend? Well, the answer to that question is of course going to lay in the corpora cavernosa. One of the most important things about the corpora cavernosa is going to be the fact that they can inflate with blood in order to cause an erection. These tubes are shaped almost like cigars and their tissue wall, also called tunica albuginea can cause a rigidity that is only achieved when completely stretched out. One of the most important things to know about a penis is that it is very fragile and the shape of the penis is determined by strong but flimsy connective tissue fibers.
It is obvious that Peyronie’s disease is not exactly a disorder of the penis directly but it is a disorder of the tunica albuginea. Along the tunica albuginea, plaques, also referred to as scar tissue will form, thus causing distortion to the erect penis. During the early stages of this particular disease, plaques can be simply dismissed as inflammation, but they can cause permanent scars later.
The reason why Peyronie’s disease affects erections is because it interferes with expansion of the tissue. Plaques are one of the biggest concerns for most men and that brings us to our next question: what causes the plaques or scar tissue to form on this particular area? Well, it actually can be due to inflamed tissue on the tunica albuginea which later can turn into Peyronie’s disease. These inflammations can become very swollen and be extremely painful, which in turn can cause permanent scars.
There have been a lot of studies done that have shown that the scar tissue is actually one of the stages in the healing process for the wound. Whether the stage is early or late depends on how thick the scar tissue really is, this is exactly what brings Peyronie’s disease on.
While there is no set reason why Peyronie’s disease starts in the first place the presence of scar tissue is must be present if diagnosis of peyronies is to be reached. One possible reason for the onset of this scarring might be caused by trauma to the penis. This can of course happen during sex or it can happen during something else that can cause trauma to the penis. For example, if you had something done to your penis that might have harmed it, causing scar tissue, it can definitely turn into Peyronie’s disease if it is not treated right away. If you begin to notice the scar tissue growing or if you experience any pain when you have an erection, you may want to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
It is pretty obvious that the more you use your penis, the more tear and wear it is going to sustain. This is especially true in men that are extremely sexually active; they probably all feel at least some bit of discomfort after a while. One of the most common places for the scar tissue or plaques to form is going to be along the very top of the erect penis in the dorsal area. The best area to get peyronies scarring is in the upper half of the penis as this tend to cause less erectile disfunction. To clarify if the scarring is at bottom half then the erection in that area wont be rigid enough for intercourse as the penis will tend to buckle up.
As stated previously, there is no specific cause for Peyronie’s disease but there have been a few autopsies that have been done to find out exactly what might be the cause of Peyronie’s disease. While there is still no clear answer about how a normal wound healing patch can turn into Peyronie’s disease, the autopsies did reveal that this particular disease is more commonly found in men with diabetes and gout.
Diagnosis of Peyronie’s Disease
There are quite a few ways to diagnose Peyronie’s disease and one of them is going to be via the symptoms:
- Erection pain
- The penis is not as long as it used to be
- The penis bends or indents when it is erect.
- A very thick band of flesh can be seen on one or more sides of the penis
- The narrowing of the diameter of the penis when it is erect
- A curve in the penis itself into a ‘J’ figure
- Any curving of the penis in any way.
- Problems with being able to sustain an erection due to the fact that it is too painful
- Any hard scar tissue that can be felt by the touch
- There are also quite a few things that can be seen or felt when you are at the doctor’s office that might confirm Peyronie’s disease. For instance when the penis is erect, there can be one or more hard areas, also called plaques along the wall of the erection. Also elasticity of the flaccid penis is not all that good.
One of the most important things that you need to remember when you think that you might have Peyronie’s disease is going to be taking pictures. That way, if you can not gain an erection while at your doctor’s office, you can consult the pictures for proof that there is something wrong or strange about your penis.
Although ultrasound pictures and X-rays are not a mandatory thing for your doctor to take, they should definitely be taken to see just how thick the plaque is and to see if surgery is going to be a treatment option. Also, testing to see how well the erection mechanism works before surgery is a great idea.