Weill Cornell Medicine Urology
Weill Cornell Medicine Urology
Peyronie's Disease - Risks & Causes

Peyronie's Disease - Risks & Causes

Peyronie's disease is characterized by a localized scarring of the tunica albuginea of the penis. The cause of Peyronie's disease appears to be multi-factorial and has not been fully explained. As bending of the penis occurs in all men during penetrative sexual intercourse, only a small percentage of men manifest plaque formation. While trauma is believed to be the initial event, many theories have been proposed for the pathogenesis of Peyronie's disease, including auto-immune factors, excess production of chemicals (known as cytokines) in the tissue of the penis and abnormalities of cell behavior. Peyronie's disease appears to be more common in certain ethnic groups, particularly northern European Caucasians; it is uncommon in African-American men and rare in Asian men.

Risks of Peyronie's Disease include advanced age, diabetes and erectile dysfunction. It is also believed that there is an association between Peyronie's disease and Dupuytren's disease (aka Dupuytren's contracture). Dupuytren's disease is a scarring (fibromatosis) of the hand leading to hand deformities. Between 10-20% of men with Peyronie's disease will also have Dupuytren's disease. Having prostate cancer surgery is also a risk factor for developing Peyronie's disease. As many as 16% of men undergoing surgery for prostate cancer may develop Peyronie's disease within 3 years of having surgery. Another possible cause of Peyronie's disease was believed to be hypogonadism, or low testosterone, although this has not held true.

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If you'd like to learn more about each of our providers that specialize in Peyronie's Disease, please review the Physicians & Faculty profiles listed at the bottom of this page.

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Physicians & Faculty

Dr. Marc Goldstein, M.D., F.A.C.S. | Weill Cornell Medicine

Marc Goldstein

M.D., F.A.C.S.

212.746.5470
212.746.5470
Aetna-Weill Cornell POS, Federal Medicare, NY State Medicaid, Rockefeller University-CoreSource
Brady Urologic Health Center
Dr. James A. Kashanian, M.D.

James A. Kashanian

M.D.

212.746.5309
212.746.5309
AETNA [Medicare], AETNA-HMO, Aetna-NYP-EPO/POS, AETNA-PPO, Aetna-Weill Cornell POS, Blue Priority Network, CIGNA, EBCBS HMO, EBCBS Mediblue, EBCBS Pathway X, EBCBS Pathway X Enhanced, EBCBS PPO/EPO, Emblem Select Care, Empire BCBS HealthPlus (CHP), GHI, Health Insurance Plan of NY (HIP), Medicare, Oxford Freedom, Oxford Health Plans [Liberty], Oxford Health Plans [Medicare], Oxford Health Plans [Metro/Core/Charter], Rockefeller University-CoreSource, UHC Compass, UHC Medicare, United Empire Plan, United Healthcare Commercial
The LeFrak Center for Robotic Surgery
Dr. Peter N. Schlegel, MD, FACS | Cornell Urology

Peter N. Schlegel

M.D., F.A.C.S.

212.746.5491
212.746.5491
Aetna-Weill Cornell POS, NY State Medicaid, Rockefeller University-CoreSource
Klinefelter Syndrome Care Center

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