Peyronie’s disease (PD) is a condition where scar tissue forms in the penis, causing it to bend during erections, sometimes leading to pain and deformity. This can significantly affect a man’s physical and emotional well-being, as well as his relationships.

PD is more common in men with diabetes, especially those with poorly controlled blood sugar. Studies have shown that men with diabetes are up to 22.5% more likely to develop PD, with the risk even higher in those who don’t manage their diabetes well. Researchers believe that better control of blood sugar might help reduce the severity of PD. However, the specific factors in diabetes, like how long someone has had it, that contribute to PD development are not fully understood. A new study aimed to explore these connections.

To explore how diabetes might affect a person’s PD, researchers reviewed medical records of 197 men diagnosed with both conditions between 2007 and 2022. They collected information such as patients’ age, diabetes control (measured by HbA1c levels), and the severity of PD. PD plaque size and penile curvature were evaluated through physical exams, ultrasounds, and photographs.

The patients were then grouped based on the age they developed diabetes (early, average, or late) and whether their blood sugar was well-controlled (HbA1c ≤7%) or poorly controlled (HbA1c >7%). Finally, the researchers analyzed how the patients’ diabetes characteristics influenced PD’s progression and severity using statistical tests to explore any connections between these factors. They were aiming to understand whether early-onset diabetes or poor blood sugar control made PD worse.

In the end, the study authors found that men with early-onset diabetes were more likely to develop PD earlier. About 35% of the differences in the age of PD onset could be linked to when the patients developed diabetes. Early-onset diabetes was also associated with the formation of penile plaques, though it had a smaller effect on how large the plaques grew.

Additionally, higher blood sugar levels (measured by HbA1c) were connected to earlier development of PD. Men with uncontrolled diabetes were more likely to experience penile plaques. In fact, a rise in HbA1c levels after a PD diagnosis was linked to a higher chance of developing plaques, with 12% of plaque formation related to changes in blood sugar control. The study did not find a strong connection between other diabetes characteristics, such as diabetes duration or complications like retinopathy or neuropathy, and PD severity.

Ultimately, this suggests that the age of diabetes onset and how well blood sugar is controlled are key factors in how PD develops and progresses. While antidiabetic medications didn’t show a direct effect on PD severity, controlling blood sugar helped some patients. Given these findings, the authors suggest that keeping blood sugar levels in check during PD’s early stages is important to manage the condition and its complications.

More research is needed to understand the connection between diabetes and PD, but this study emphasizes the need for personalized treatment strategies to manage both conditions effectively.

References:

• Karakus, S., Unal, S., Dai, D., Joseph, C., Du Comb, W., Levy, J. A., Hawksworth, D., & Burnett, A. L. (2024). Early-onset and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus factors correlate with complications of Peyronie’s disease. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 21(8), 716–722. https://doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdae069