• Men with Peyronies disease generally seek medical attention for pain or bending of the penis during erection, which results from inflammation and scarring in a particular part of the male anatomy known as the tunica albuginea.

• Francois de la Peyronie, surgeon to Louis XIV of France, first described treatment for this disorder in 1743.

• This condition is most commonly acquired at about age 55. A man can be born with curvature of the penis, though this is not Peyronies disease.

• Severity varies - only a minority of the men afflicted with this problem are unable to engage sexually. Through an effect on the erection mechanism it can reduce rigidity (hardness), but it rarely causes impotence.

• It is somewhat uncommon, affecting somewhere between one and three men in a hundred.

• In addition to producing curvature, Peyronies disease may change the shape of the erection in other ways: indentation, diameter reduction, or loss of length.

• Peyronies disease can have a strong psychological impact.

• Some cases are mild, healing without treatment within a year of onset. Most cases produce at least some degree of persistant curvature.

• A noticeable lump, or plaque within the penis is commonly detected. Contrary to prevalent anxieties, it is noncancerous, and unrelated to cholesterol – containing arterial plaque

• Peyronies disease can run in families, though most cases do not appear to be hereditary.

• This condition is not associated with serious internal disorders. 10 –20% of men develop scarring of either the hands (Dupuytren’s contractures) or of the feet.

• The goal of therapy is to maintain sexual function. In some cases, education about the disease and reassurance is all that is required. Rarely, when long-term deformity prevents intercourse, surgery is recommended.

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