ED: Peyronie’s Disease Symptoms
Peyronie’s disease symptoms are caused by a virus called Epstein Barr Virus (EBV). EBV infects the body through contact with infected blood or bodily fluids.
EBV infection may cause various types of flu like pneumonia, influenza type A, influenza type B, and others. However, it is not just the viral strain that causes the illness but also other factors such as immune system suppression. The most common symptom of peyronie’s disease is fever. Other symptoms include headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fatigue. Some patients experience severe pain in their joints and muscles.
Symptoms of Peyronie’s Disease: Fever
The most typical signs of peyronie’s disease are fever and joint pains. These symptoms usually last from one day to two weeks after which time they subside.
The average duration of fever is three days. If the patient does not get better within four days, then they are admitted to hospital.
How do I know if my child has peyronie’s disease?
If your child experiences any of these symptoms, it means that they have been exposed to EBV. Therefore, it is necessary to take them immediately to see a doctor or health care provider. It is necessary to be wary of other illnesses that present with fever and pain. These include kidney infection, mononucleosis, urinary tract infection and leukemia. If your child experiences fever along with difficulty in breathing then it must be taken seriously.
How is Peyronie’s disease diagnosed?
Peyronie’s disease is diagnosed using a physical examination and blood tests. The health care provider will also ask questions about the medical history of the patient. Routine blood tests will be taken to rule out other possible diseases and conditions. These tests may include complete blood count (CBC), chest x-ray, urinalysis, or urinary culture. Urine samples may show evidence of infection which can then be treated with antibiotics.
How is Peyronie’s disease treated?
Peyronie’s disease is not infectious and does not spread from person to person. It is caused by a virus that infects the body. There is no peyronie’s disease vaccine or cure, but there are treatments available to relieve symptoms and make the patient feel better. Antibiotics are used to treat any possible urinary tract infection and antiviral treatment can be used to fight the effects of the virus on the patient’s immune system. The patient may be sent home to rest until the fever goes down and they feel better.
If the patient does not respond to rest or if the fever persists, then the health care provider may send the patient for a CT scan of the head to rule out other possible causes of fever such as brain infection or inflammation. The patient may be admitted to hospital if their condition worsens, if they develop other symptoms or if the infection is not responding to treatment.
Blood transfusions may be used to treat anemia caused by severe blood loss from the infected area, and intravenous (IV) antibiotics may be used if there is evidence that the infection has spread. If the patient has an abscess or a collection of pus (an infected blister) then it may need to be lanced by a health care provider to drain the pus.
What is the outlook for patients with Peyronie’s disease?
Most patients with Peyronie’s disease recover completely from the acute phase of the illness and do not experience any long-term complications or residual effects. However, some patients experience relapses in the later stages of the disease. There are a few patients who do not get better despite treatment and these may require surgery to remove the scar tissue causing the erection problems.
What is the importance of seeking medical advice?
Although most patients with Peyronie’s disease can be treated as outpatients, severe cases may require hospitalization. It is important for patients to seek treatment early to prevent the complications of this disease from worsening.
How can peyronies disease be prevented?
There is no known way to prevent Peyronie’s disease. However, it is important to know the early signs and seek prompt treatment to ensure that the condition does not worsen and lead to serious complications.
Living with Peyronies disease
There is currently no known cure for Peyronies disease, but most patients can lead healthy and fairly normal lives by adopting a few lifestyle changes.
Sources & references used in this article:
Understanding the course of Peyronie’s disease by G Garaffa, LW Trost, EC Serefoglu… – … journal of clinical …, 2013 – Wiley Online Library
Understanding the cellular basis and pathophysiology of Peyronie’s disease to optimize treatment for erectile dysfunction by J Campbell, R Alzubaidi – Translational andrology and urology, 2017 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
PEYRONIE’S DISEASE: A Survey of Primary-Care Physicians and Urologists Regarding Peyronie’s Disease by JC LaRochelle, LA Levine – The journal of sexual medicine, 2007 – Elsevier
New discoveries in the basic science understanding of Peyronie’s disease by M Jalkut, N Gonzalez-Cadavid, J Rajfer – Current urology reports, 2004 – Springer
Erectile Dysfunction and Peyronie’s Disease: Genetic Diseases? by DP Patel, MB Christensen, JM Hotaling… – European urology …, 2020 – Elsevier
