Dr. Mohit Khera, a leading urologist, warned that many men with Peyronie’s disease suffer in silence
Millions of American men “suffer in silence” with deformed penises, a leading urologist warned.
Dr. Mohit Khera, of Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, said as many as one in 10 American men has Peyronie’s disease, a condition in which scar tissue called plaque forms under the skin of the penis.
It is usually caused by repeated micro-injuries during sex, masturbation, or exercise, and results in the person’s genitals becoming curved to varying degrees. Patients normally cannot recall any specific trauma to the penis.
Dr. Khera cautioned that most men don’t seek help because of stigma and shame, despite the condition being highly treatable if caught early.
Dr Khera told The Peter Attia Drive Podcast: ‘Up to seven to nine percent of men in the US have Peyronie’s disease.
‘This population, I call the population that suffers in silence. They never talk about it. In fact, studies show that they are very quiet and never seek help.
“The problem with this is that it has a major impact on their quality of life.”
He added, ?Patients who have the disease are really suffering from depression. They feel there is a deformity.’
He said there is treatment for the condition, including injections and surgery.
When a man gets an erection, the two columns of spongy tissue on either side of the penis expand and fill with blood.
In general, this leads to a straight or almost straight erection.
But in cases where the penis has suffered an injury, such as from sex or vigorous masturbation, the healing process may have created a plaque in the fibrous sheath surrounding the columns.
This causes the penis to begin to bend up to 180 degrees when erect or flaccid.
There is some discrepancy about how many men have Peyronie’s disease.
The National Institutes of Health suggests it affects one in 100 men, equivalent to about 1.6 million American men.
But a 2011 study from RTI Health Solutions involving 11,400 men surveyed about their erections, put the figure at 13 percent.
Dr. Khera said that when someone suffers an injury to the penis, it’s important to get to the hospital immediately to help prevent problems like Peyronie’s disease.
The disease has two phases, says Dr. Khera.
During the active phase, which can last up to a year, the scar tissue is still forming and the penis gradually becomes more curved. Men can also experience pain.
At this point there is little point in doing any treatment as the penis will continue to curve and more will be needed.
But in the passive phase that follows, the penis stops curving and nothing changes. The main can also disappear.
Men with Peyronie’s disease are also more likely to be depressed and have erectile dysfunction because they see themselves as having a “deformity”
Dr Khera said: ‘There is an active phase for 12 months and in those 12 months it is the 15, 40 and 45 rule.
‘Of all men, 15 percent simply get better. Forty percent remains the same. And 45 percent of patients will get worse.
“That’s why you have to tell patients: Look, I’m not going to operate on you, because if I operate on you and you’re the 45 percent that gets worse, I’ll have to operate again.”
Doctors can treat the condition by injecting an enzyme called collagenase into the plaque, which can help break it down and straighten the penis.
Patients may also have surgery, in which stitches are placed in the opposite side of the penis to the plaque or the plaque is excised.
Also available off-label treatment are traction devices – such as the RestoreX – which are most often used to lengthen the penis, although they can also help straighten it.
A 2021 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that 27 percent of men with the condition had clinical depression. It revealed that men who were not in relationships were particularly at risk.
Another study from the same year appeared in the Men’s health magazine found that men who had the condition were more likely to experience depression and anxiety.
Men with the condition may suffer from depression because they worry about sexual contact with others.
They are also at greater risk of erectile dysfunction, due to concerns about reactions to their penis and whether they will be able to have sex with their partner.