Peyronie's disease is a connective tissue disorder involving the growth of fibrous plaques in the soft tissue of the penis affecting as many as 1-4% of men. Specifically the fibrosing process occurs in the tunica albuginea, a fibrous envelope surrounding the penile corpora cavernosa. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) is a coding of diseases and signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or diseases, as classified by the World Health Organization (WHO). ... // N00-N39 - Diseases of the genitourinary system: urinary system (N00-N08) Glomerular diseases Prefixes: .2 Diffuse membranous glomerulonephritis (N00) Acute nephritic syndrome (N01) Rapidly progressive nephritic syndrome (N02) Recurrent and persistent haematuria (N03) Chronic nephritic syndrome (N04) Nephrotic syndrome Lipoid nephrosis (N05) Unspecified nephritic syndrome (N06) Isolated proteinuria with specified... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... The Mendelian Inheritance in Man project is a database that catalogues all the known diseases with a genetic component, and - when possible - links them to the relevant genes in the human genome. ... The Disease Bold textDatabase is a free website that provides information about the relationships between medical conditions, symptoms, and medications. ... MedlinePlus (medlineplus. ... eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996. ... Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. ... Connective tissue is one of the four types of tissue in traditional classifications (the others being epithelial, muscle, and nervous tissue. ... In medicine, the term soft tissue refers to tissues that connect, support, or surround other structures and organs of the body. ... The penis (plural penises, penes) is an external male sexual organ. ... The tunica albuginea is the tough fibrous covering of the testicles. ...

Peyronies Disease is also formally known as "penile induration" or "Induratio Penis Plastica (IPP)" and colloquially as "bent nail syndrome". A French surgeon, François de la Peyronie, first described the disease in 1743. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Variation

A certain degree of curvature of the penis is considered normal, as many men are born with this benign condition, commonly referred to as congenital curvature. This causes the penis to point in a direction other than directly forward, while still having a relatively straight shaft. Such curvature is not caused by Peyronie's Disease.

Symptoms

The disease may cause pain,hardened, cord-like lesions (scar tissue known as "plaques"), or abnormal curvature of the penis when erect. In addition, narrowing and or shortening of the penis may occur. Pain felt in the early stages of the disease often resolves in twelve to eighteen months. Erectile dysfunction, in varying degrees, often accompanies these symptoms in the later stages of the disease process. The condition may also make sexual intercourse painful and/or difficult, though many men report satisfactory intercourse in spite of the disease. Although it can affect men of any race and age, it is most commonly seen in caucasian males above the age of 40. Peyronie's Disease is not contagious, nor is it related in any way to cancer. The disease only affects men and is confined to the penis, although a substantial number of men with Peyronie's exhibit concurrent connective tissue disorders in the hand, and to a lesser degree, in the feet. It has been suggested that Duration of sexual intercourse be merged into this article or section. ...

About 30 percent of men with Peyronie's disease develop fibrosis in other elastic tissues of the body, such as on the hand or foot, including Dupuytren's contracture of the hand. An increased incidence in genetically related males suggests a genetic component.

Diagnosis and treatment

A urologist can diagnose the disease and suggest treatment, and it is best to seek out a urologist who specializes in Peyronie's Disease, as the disease and its current treatments are not well understood by most urologists in general practice. Commonly prescribed oral treatments, such as Vitamin E, are probably ineffective. Newer agents targeting the basic mechanisms of inflammation have not yet been studied in larger clinical trials. Such medications include potassium para-aminobenzoate (Potaba), acetyl L-carnitine, propionyl L-carnitine, L-arginine, sildenafil (acting through phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition) and pentoxifylline (acting through TGFβ1 inhibition). Surgery is considered a last resort and should only be performed by highly skilled urological surgeons knowledgeable in specialized corrective surgical techniques. Injections to plaques (scar tissue formed by the disease) with Verapamil may be effective in some patients. Use of Iontophoresis with Verapamil and Dexamethasone, applied to the affected areas has been studied but a recent placebo controlled trial failed to show a significant improvement. There are no clinical trials listed in the NIH trial registry. Always consult a qualified physician before starting any treatment regimen. Anecdotal evidence supports use of a vacuum erection device to exert gentle longitudinal forces on the plaque, and to lead to remodeling; this too is now being studied in a clinical trial. Never attempt to bend or force the erect penis back to its former alignment as this could cause serious injury and significantly worsen the condition. Tocopherol, or Vitamin E, is a fat-soluble vitamin in eight forms that is an important antioxidant. ... Sildenafil citrate, sold under the names Viagra, Revatio and generically under various other names, is a drug used to treat male erectile dysfunction (impotence) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. ... Verapamil (brand names: Isoptin®, Verelan®, Calan®) is a medical drug that acts as an L-type calcium channel blocker. ... Dexamethasone is a potent synthetic member of the glucocorticoid class of steroid hormones. ...

Peyronie's Disease can be a physically and psychologically devastating disease. While most men will continue to be able to have sexual relations, they are likely to experience some degree of deformity and erectile dysfunction in the wake of the disease process. It is not uncommon for men afflicted with Peyronie's Disease to exhibit depression, withdrawal from their sexual partners, and an unwillingness to talk openly about their concerns with their partner and or their physician. Accordingly, seeking out a mental health professional is often recommended as an adjunct to medical treatment. Erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence is a sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis. ...

See also

• Hypospadias

Hypospadias is a birth defect of the urethra in the male that involves an abnormally placed urethral meatus (opening). ...

References

1. ^ Peyronie's disease at Who Named It
2. ^ http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/peyronie/index.htm
3. ^ http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/peyronies-disease/DS00427

Who Named It is a Norwegian database of several thousand eponymous medical signs and the doctors associated with their identification. ...

External links

• Peyronie's disease at the Open Directory Project
• Peyronie’s Disease - Cause, Diagnosis, Treatment