Until recently, Peyronie's disease was a poorly understood condition. Many original descriptions depicted it as secondary to scarring from masturbation or sexually transmitted diseases. It is not a malignant condition of the penis. It affects men primarily between the ages of forty to sixty. The reported incidence is somewhere in the range of 4 percent, but I suspect it is much more common and vastly underreported.
Patients often delay seeking medical help out of fear and embarrassment.
The hallmark of the disease is a plaque or hard spot along the shaft of the penis. This occurs in the vast majority of men with Peyronie's disease. The plaque may range from a few millimeters or may encompass the entire length of the penis. The most common reason for seeking medical help is painful erections and erectile dysfunction. The cause of Peyronie's disease is not well understood.