What is Peyronie's Disease?

Peyronie’s disease is not a disease, but a condition that affects the penis. Peyronie’s disease was first describe in 1743 by French surgeon, Francois Gigot de La Peyronie. Peyronie’s disease affects men in any ages. Peyronie’s disease characterised by the development of plaques or scars tissues on the upper or lower side of the penis. Men with Peyronie’s disease usually experience painful erections and difficulty. A plaque or hard lump forms on the upper or lower side of the penis in the layers of erectile tissue forces the penis to bend during an erection. All men’s penises bend a little this way or that when erect, but in Peyronie’s disease the bend is very obvious, and it may be difficult or impossible to have intercourse because of it.

In peyronie’s disease, the plaque that formed in the penis is noncancerous (benign). At the beginning, the plaque is just a redness and swelling and become harden into a scar. The exact causes of this is not sure, but many researches believe, the plaque in peyronie’s disease are comes from trauma that cause bleeding in certain area inside the penis. Usually the plaque forms on the top of the shaft, making the penis bend upward. But if the plaque is on the underside it will bend downward. In some peyronie’s disease cases, the plaque develops on both top and bottom, leading to indentation and shortening of the penis. In the worst peyronie’s disease cases, the hardened plaque reduces flexibility and causes so much pain, bending and emotional distress that sex becomes impossible.