What Causes Peyronie's Disease?

Peyronie's disease basically amounts to a bend in the penis when it is erect. The bend is prompted by a layer of fibrous scar tissue (plaque) that develops beneath the skin on the either the upper or lower side of the penis. Peyronie's disease often goes away without treatment but can lead to painful erections, a diminishing size of erection and problem getting and sustaining an erection. There are many causes for the disease.

Injury

Trauma or rough sex can lead to Peyronie's disease. Small tears in the underlying tissue of the penis lead to internal bleeding. As the penis heals, it creates scar tissue around the tears, thus resulting in a thicker layer of skin which pulls the penis out of whack.

Autoimmune Disorder

According to the Mayo Clinic, another possible source of Peyronie's disease is the immune system. If a man's immune system malfunctions it can cause a buildup of plaque on the penis, resulting in deformity of the shaft.

Collagen abnormality

Collagen is what keeps our skin moist. If the body has inherited some sort of collagen abnormality the body might not know when to regulate the creation of hard fibrous tissue. If that tissue happens to form on penis tissue, it would cause deformity.

Medications

Certain heart and blood pressure medications, called beta blockers, have been known to cause Peyronie's disease, but instances of this are very rare. If you are taking a drug for your heart or blood pressure and you experience side effect similar to Peyronie's disease, contact your physician before discontinuing the drug.