Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is PD?IncidenceBy Race/EthnicityBy Age and GenderComplicationsScreeningFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is PD?
Incidence
By Race/Ethnicity
By Age and Gender
Complications
Screening
Frequently Asked Questions
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 1 of every 100 people with penises in the United States is diagnosed withPeyronie’s disease(PD), a condition in which scar tissue on thepeniscan cause it to bend abnormally.
Recent research suggests that the actual rate may be closer to 1 in 10 given that many don’t seek diagnosis or treatment for PD, often becausesymptomsare mild and don’t interfere with sexual function.
PD is not a life-threatening or even “serious” medical condition but one that can lead to depression and relationship problems in around 50% of cases.Moreover, 32% report significanterectile dysfunction(the ability to achieve or sustain anerection).
This article provides facts and statistics about Peyronie’s disease, including who is most likely to be affected and PD’s impact on a person’s life.
Morsa Images / Getty Images
Peyronie’s Disease Overview
The trauma can cause painless scar tissues (called plaques) on thetunica albuginea, the thick sheath surrounding the inner core of the penis. Over time, the plaques can cause “weak spots” that undermine the stability of an erection, eventually—and sometimes suddenly—leading to an abnormal curve.
Penile CurvatureAlthough a certain degree of curvature is normal with an erect penis, PD causes a sudden and abnormal bend, often upward but sometimes downward or to the side.
Penile Curvature
Although a certain degree of curvature is normal with an erect penis, PD causes a sudden and abnormal bend, often upward but sometimes downward or to the side.
Depending on the severity of PD, other symptoms may include:
Psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, and relationship problems, are also common with PD.
Can You Fracture a Penis?
How Common Is Peyronie’s Disease?
Peyronie’s disease is more common than many people think.
While only around 1 of every 100 people with penises seek a diagnosis for PD,a population-based study published inPLoS Onesuggests that as many as 11 in 100 have PD symptoms. That translates to roughly 1 of every 9 people with penises in the United States aged 18 or over.
If these statistics hold true, this means that roughly 11 million people in the United States have some level of PD ranging from mild to severe.
What Causes Peyronie’s Disease?
Peyronie’s disease can affect anyone with a penis. However, for reasons not entirely clear, White people appear far more vulnerable to PD than any other racial or ethnic group.
Race and Peyronie’s DiseaseA 2020 study inSexual Medicinereported that White people with PD were nearly four times more likely to seek diagnosis and treatment than Black people with PD.
Race and Peyronie’s Disease
A 2020 study inSexual Medicinereported that White people with PD were nearly four times more likely to seek diagnosis and treatment than Black people with PD.
But, genetics may also account for the disparity. As a connective tissue disorder, PD is often seen in those who have other connective tissue diseases, likeDupuytren’s contracture(which causes the deformity of the palm and fingers).
As with PD, Dupuytren’s contracture (DC) tends to affect White people more than Black or Latinx people.Moreover, gene mutations associated with DC are common in people with PD, such as theHLA-DQw2mutation that occurs in 58% of people with PD and DC.
How Peyronie’s Disease Is Diagnosed
Peyronie’s disease generally affects older people but can also occur in younger people, including teens and adolescents.The risk of PD increases after age 40, reaching a peak between 55 and 64.
But these figures don’t necessarily paint the entire picture.
According to 2016 research from the Yale School of Public Health, the average age of those with PD symptoms (referred to as “probable PD”) is around 48. However, the average age of those officially diagnosed with PD (referred to as “definitive PD”) is 58.
Based on the probable diagnosis of PD, the Yale researchers reported the following rates among 7,711 study participants:
Not only are the rates of PD higher among younger people than previously thought, but symptoms tend to be more severe with greater penile curvature, higher pain scores, more penile plaques, and higher rates of emotional distress.
How to Prevent Peyronie’s Disease
What Are the Mortality Rates for Peyronie’s Disease?
Peyronie’s disease is not associated with an increased risk of mortality (death). Even so, it is associated with significant physical and psychological morbidity (illness) and a decreased quality of life and well-being.
PD is linked to several long-term health concerns:
Peyronie’s Disease and InfertilityAlthough Peyronie’s disease is associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction, it is not inherently linked tomale infertilityunless it prevents you from having sex.
Peyronie’s Disease and Infertility
Although Peyronie’s disease is associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction, it is not inherently linked tomale infertilityunless it prevents you from having sex.
Can Penile Traction Fix Peyronie’s?
Screening and Early Detection
There are no tests able to detect Peyronie’s disease or predict who will get it. PD is a disease that is ultimately diagnosed after it develops, usually with a physical exam and anultrasound(a non-invasive tool that can detect penile plaques using high-frequency sound waves).
An evaluation can predict the risk of sexual dysfunction. Generally speaking, a penile curve of greater than 60 degrees is linked to a high risk of sexual disability, including the inability to have sexual intercourse.However, the severity of the penile curve can in no way predict who may or may not experience pain.
How Peyronie’s Disease Is Treated
Summary
Peyronie’s disease (PD) is the abnormal curve of the penis that tends to happen in later life. Statistics indicate that 1 in every 100 people with penises is diagnosed with PD in the United States. However, the actual rate (factoring in diagnosed and undiagnosed cases) may be closer to 1 in 10.
White people are disproportionally diagnosed with PD (compared to other groups) due in part to genetic factors that may predispose them to PD. While people over 40 are more likely to get PD, there is increasing evidence that PD affects younger people and teens more than previously thought.
How to Cope With Peyronie’s Disease
Peyronie’s disease (PD) is uncommon in teens but can occur. A 2012 study in theJournal of Sex Medicinereported that teens accounted for only 2.5% of cases compared to 76.7% of cases in adults 40 and over. Even so, symptoms tended to be more severe with greater penile deformity and seven times more penile plaques (scar tissues) than older adults.
20 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Penile curvature (Peyronie’s disease).
Nelson CJ, Mulhall JP.Psychological impact of Peyronie’s disease: a review.J Sex Med. 2013;10(3):653-660. doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2012.02999.x
Stuntz M, Perlaky A, des Vignes F, Kyriakides T, Glass D.The prevalence of Peyronie’s disease in the United States: a population-based study.PLoS One.2016;11(2):e0150157. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0150157
Al-Thakafi S, Al-Hatha N.Peyronie’s disease: a literature review on epidemiology, genetics, pathophysiology, diagnosis and work-up.Transl Androl Urol.2016;5(3):280–289. doi:10.21037/tau.2016.04.05
Bilgutay AN, Pastuszak AW.Peyronie’s disease: a review of etiology, diagnosis, and management.Curr Sex Health Rep.2015;7(2):117–131. doi:10.1007/s11930-015-0045-y
Department of the Treasury.Racial inequity in the United States.
Segundo A, Glina S.Prevalence, risk factors, and erectile dysfunction associated with Peyronie’s disease among men seeking urological care.Sex Med.2020;8(2):230–236. doi:10.1016/j.esxm.2019.11.002
Tal R, Hall MS, Alex B, Choi J, Mulhall JP.Peyronie’s disease in teenagers,J Sex Med. 2012;9(1):302-308. doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02502.x
Paulis G, Cavallini G, Barletta D, Turchi P, Vitarelli A, Fabiani A.Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of young patients with Peyronie’s disease: a retrospective study.Res Rep Urol.2015;7:107–11. doi:10.2147/RRU.S85708
Habous M, Malkawi I, Han E, et al.Peyronie’s disease is common in poorly controlled diabetics but is not associated with the metabolic syndrome.Urol Ann.2019 Jul-Sep;11(3):252–6. doi:10.4103/UA.UA_164_18
Askari M, Ali S, Mirjalili M, Bozorg M, Azizi R, Namiraniian N.The prevalence of Peyronie’s disease in diabetic patients -2018- Yazd.Diabetes Metabol Syn Clin Res Rev.2019;13(1):604-607. doi:10.1016/j.dsx.2018.11.039
Lo EM, Hotaling JM, Pastuszak AW.Urologic conditions associated with malignancy.Urol Oncol. 2020;38(1):23–30. doi:10.1016/j.urolonc.2018.12.018
Berger MH, Messore M, Pastuszak AW, Ramasamy R.Association between infertility and sexual dysfunction in men and women.Sex Med Rev.2016;4(4):353-65, doi:10.1016/j.sxmr.2016.05.002
Walsh TJ, Hotaling JM, Lue TF, Smith JF.How curved is too curved? The severity of penile deformity may predict sexual disability among men with Peyronie’s disease.Int J Impot Res. 2013;25(3):109-112. doi:10.1038/ijir.2012.48
Flores JM, Salter CA, Nascimento B, et al.The prevalence and predictors of penile pain in men with Peyronie’s disease.Sex Med. 2021;9(4):100398, doi:10.1016/j.esxm.2021.100398
Cocci A, Russo GI, Briganti A, et al.Predictors of treatment success after collagenase clostridium histolyticum injection for Peyronie’s disease: development of a nomogram from a multicentre single-arm, non-placebo controlled clinical study.BJU Int. 2018;122(4):680-687. doi:10.1111/bju.14410
Rojo MAE, Iribarren IM, Rodriguez JC, Martinez-Salamanca JI.Experience in the use of collagenase clostridium histolyticum in the management of Peyronie’s disease: current data and future prospects.Ther Adv Urol.2014;6(5):192–197. doi:10.1177/1756287214537331
Pastuszak AW. Kohn TP, Eisenberg M.Increased risk of cancer among men with Peyronie’s disease.Fertility Sterility.2017;108(3):E39. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2017.07.129
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
