Do I have Peyronie’s disease?

When someone asks about Peyronie’s disease symptoms they usually want to know if they have Peyronie’s disease.   This is a diagnosis that is not always easy to make, since the actual signs and symptoms of Peyronie’s disease can be tricky at times.

In order to answer this question it is first important to remember that a symptom is something a person feels or experiences inside, meaning it is subjective. A symptom is what someone experiences as a result or during an illness, injury or disease.  Symptoms can include chills, Peyronie’s pain, shaking, shivering, nausea, or dizziness.  Symptoms are reported by the patient to help a doctor diagnose a problem.

In the case of Peyronie’s symptoms the only subjective finding would be the penile pain that can be variable; pain can be felt constantly, only when erect, only when non-erect or only when flaccid.  In addition this pain can be extremely mild, very severe, or something between. Because the Peyronie’s pain is not always present – and is sometimes totally absent – it is not always a reliable way to make a diagnosis of PD.

You might say a sign is the opposite of a symptom.  A sign is an outward or obvious physical indicator or manifestation of illness, injury or disease.  In this way it is said that a sign is objective, since it is always something that another person can detect, measure in some way or see that helps to make a diagnosis.  Some common signs are rapid pulse, elevated body temperature, low blood pressure, bleeding, a rash or open wound, bruising, to name but a few.

In the case of Peyronie’s disease, there are only a few signs or outward findings that are used to make a diagnosis.  These signs can be just as variable as the Peyronie’s pain, such as the elusive Peyronie’s plaque or scar, a curved penis or some other distortion, and impotence or  reduced sexual ability.  Because each of these Peyronie’s signs are also not always present – and can be sometimes totally absent – it is not always a simple or easy thing to make this diagnosis.

Very often only a few Peyronie’s symptoms and signs are available to make a diagnosis, with perhaps the most common being some type of curved penis or distortion.

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