Peyronie’s disease

Abstract

Peyronie’s disease (PD) is an acquired benign disease that affects the tunica albuginea of the penis leading to fi brous plaques. The major and most characteristic symptom in affected patients is penile deviation, which may lead to inability for sexual intercourse [ 1 - 3 ]. The prevalence of PD is 3-9 % of adult men, with males between 40 and 70 years being affected predominantly. However, PD also occurs in the younger population under 30 years [ 2, 4 ]. The etiology of PD is unknown, but some hypotheses exist. The disease is considered a wound-healing disorder that occurs in genetically susceptible males following repeated penile microtraumata. These microtraumata usually occur during sexual intercourse, without being noticed by the patient. However, PD has a multifactorial background including unregulated deposition of collagen and overexpression of transforming growth factor-â-1, which fi nally lead to the formation of characteristic penile plaques. Common comorbidities and risk factors for developing PD are diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hypogonadism, smoking, and excessive consumption of alcohol. Dupuytren’s disease is an associated collagen disease, affecting 9-39 % of PD patients [ 2, 5, 6 ].