What Are The Peyronie's Risk Factors?
There are some possible, even likely, known Peyronie's risk factors. However the links between these factors and developing Peyronie’s have not been conclusively proven. Knowing these risk factors may help preventing your Peyronie's disease of getting worse than it already is.
First, what do men with Peyronie's disease have in common? Who can develop Peyronie's disease? Is there something like a typical Peyronie's sufferer?
Who Can Get Peyronie's Disease?
There is no typical Peyronie's sufferer. Peyronie's can affect any adult male, of any ethnicity, though some men are more prone to developing the disease than others.
Peyronie's disease is most common in men between the age of 45 and 65. This may because the natural elasticity of the connective tissue declines with increased age. Age-related changes in the tissues may cause them to be more easily injured and less likely to heal well.
Men stay sexually active for longer these days, thanks to improved overall health and aids like Viagra and vacuum pumps. Peyronie's risk factors are therefore increasing among older men.
There also seem to be increase in younger Peyronie's sufferers. This may though be because they are more willing to seek professional help than men of older generations.
Men of any ethnic group can develop Peyronie's, though it seems to be more common in Caucasians men. However, the reason could well be that they rather seek medical assistance for this delicate condition.
How Common Is Peyronie's Disease?
Peyronie's disease is usually described as rare condition though most specialists believe it is more common than previously thought. The figure is now generally thought to be substantially higher than the official figures state.
This is partly due to the nature of the disease, i.e. many men are reluctant to seek help or admit there is a problem with their penis. Men with relatively mild symptoms may also not report them, or even be aware they have Peyronie's disease.
A study from 1995 estimated that Peyronie's affects approximately 1% of all men, while more recent studies have estimated the figure to be between 3 and 9%.
The Association of Peyronie’s Disease Advocates (APDA) believes that Peyronie's disease is seriously under-diagnosed and that it affects more than 9% of all men, which means it is not so rare condition after all.
Autopsy studies have shown that earliest microscopic changes associated with Peyronie's are actually quite common finding in the general male population. It seems that many men develop these changes but only proportion of them evolves into Peyronie's plagues.
Whatever the exact figure is, at least one thing is for sure, you are not alone.
Peyronie's is much more common than most of us realize. You and I are likely to know someone with Peyronie's though we are unlikely to know who it is. We are actually likely to know more than one fellow Peyronie's sufferer. Some might even be a relative of ours.
What Are The Peyronie's Risk Factors?
No one seems to know for sure what causes Peyronie's or why some men get it but not others.
There may be genetic link, i.e. Peyronie's disease could be inherited. There is also possible link with other genetic disorders (connective tissue disorder).
The following factors are more common among Peyronie's sufferers then the rest of the population, making them possible Peyronie's risk factors:
- Low testosterone
- Lifestyle, especially smoking
- Age (the prevalence of Peyronie's increases with age)
- Undergoing invasive penis procedure (like prostate surgery)
- Low quality erection (making the penis more likely to buckle)
- Other health problems (e.g. diabetes and circulatory disorders like high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries)
These are all possible, even likely, Peyronie's risk factors but the link between these factors and developing Peyronie's has not yet been conclusively proven.
Can You Prevent Getting Peyronie's Disease?
No, you cannot prevent getting Peyronie's disease but you can reduce the Peyronie's risk.
You cannot do anything about getting older, but you can monitor your overall health and act on any health problems as soon as detected. You can quit smoking, have your testosterone level checked, and monitor your erection quality in order to act immediately if any erection problems arise.
However, if you are reading this, you are likely to be already suffering from Peyronie's disease.
Knowing the Peyronie's risk factors and following the above preventions is still valid for Peyronie's sufferers. Following them, e.g. quit smoking and monitoring your erection quality, may help preventing your Peyronie's disease from getting worse than it already is.