Peyronie's disease: take care of the most important thing!
Peyronie's disease was first described in 1743 by the French surgeon Francois de la Peyronie. Peyronie's disease affects about 1% of men, most often it manifests itself at the age of 40 to 60 years. The causes of Peyronie's disease are still not completely clear. It is often combined with other connective tissue diseases (collagenoses). The most common theory is that the cause of the disease is a violation of the mechanism of tissue healing in general. Many patients previously had a penile injury during sexual intercourse. Abnormal healing of these injuries leads to the formation of plaques and scars.
Peyronie's disease is a disease in which cartilaginous plaques form in the protein membrane and cavernous bodies of the penis. In the lower, spongy body, such plaques do not form. At the beginning of the disease, pain appears in the penis, more often with an erection and sexual intercourse. As the disease develops, cartilaginous plaques of an oblong shape up to 1.5 cm long form in the protein membranes and cavernous bodies, more often on the back surface of the penis. These changes can cause erectile dysfunction, severe pain during erection and significant curvature of the penis, which may even interfere with sexual intercourse. The curvature is detected only with an erection, the soft penis has a normal appearance. This process happens quite quickly, and the curvature, having reached the maximum value, no longer increases. It is also possible to form fibrosis (growths of connective tissue) in cavernous bodies, which happens in about 30% of patients with Peyronie's disease. Peyronie's disease often occurs in a mild form, and the plaques that suddenly appear disappear by themselves within 6-15 months. If this does not happen, the disease will not go away on its own.
Many conservative (non-surgical) methods have been proposed for the treatment of Peyronie's disease, but no specific, plaque-destroying treatment has yet been found, so the effectiveness of drug and physiotherapy treatment is low. However, in mild cases of the disease, with small plaques and a slight curvature of the penis, you can first try to do without surgery. As a general treatment, a low-calcium diet is used to prevent plaque calcification, vitamins and other general tonic agents. Since Peyronie's disease is known to be associated with endocrine imbalance in the pituitary – adrenal cortex system, measures are being taken to normalize the synthesis of adrenal hormones. It is possible to use steroid hormones, drugs that reduce blood clotting, large doses of vitamin E and other drugs. For local treatment, injections into the plaque of medications that prevent the absorption of calcium, decomposing proteins, corticosteroids, etc. are used. Of the methods of physiotherapy, laser therapy, diathermy (a high-frequency current that increases the temperature at the site of exposure), phonophoresis ("rubbing" with ultrasound) of corticosteroid hormones, lidase, iodine are most often used. Vacuum-erection therapy is also used. However, all these methods have very low effectiveness and often serious side effects.
If conservative treatment has not helped for 1-2 years, patients are offered surgery. The choice of the operation method depends on the specific case. In cases where there is simply a curvature of the penis, it can be straightened by forming a fold of the protein membrane on the opposite side of the curvature or by excising the plaque and applying a "patch" of its own tissues (skin, venous wall, testicular vaginal membrane, etc.) to the protein membrane. If the curvature is combined with persistent erection disorders, the patient may be offered penile straightening on a falloprosthesis (phalloimplantation). This operation will eliminate both the curvature of the penis and the erection disorder.
The main thing in the prevention of Peyronie's disease is to avoid damage to the penis during sexual intercourse. When playing football, in a pub drunken brawl and other good fun, people instinctively take care of the most expensive. But a fracture of the penis can be caught both with a casual connection (with or without a condom), and during the performance of marital duty with his own legitimate wife. Injuries and even penile fractures most often occur during rough sexual intercourse while intoxicated and in the positions of a woman on top or a man from behind.
Women! Take care of the men! Men! Take care of your health!
Evgenia Ryabtseva, Alexander Chubenko
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru
26.01.2012