When an involuntary erection of the penis occurs, it should be suspected that a man is developing priapism. What is it and how does the disease manifest itself? This is a serious male pathology, which is characterized by spontaneous erection. It is not associated with sexual stimulation of a man and can last 4 hours or more. This condition is very painful, not passing after ejaculation.
Disease prevalence
Priapism (the term appeared on behalf of the god of fertility of Ancient Greece - Priapus) is an infrequent pathology in men (only 0.2%) who have sexual disorders and suffer from various urological ailments. May develop at any age. It is observed mainly in mature men (20-50 years old), but boys (5-10 years old) are also sick.
Priapism. What it is? Anatomical explanation
The male penis has three bodies: two cavernous and one spongy. With a physiological erection, smooth muscles relax. At the same time, blood flow through the arteries to the cavernous bodies increases. The latter swell and compress the veins,taking blood samples from them. This leads to maintaining the penis in a state of true erection. At the same time, it increases and thickens.
In priapism, due to increased arterial inflow or due to reduced outflow of venous blood, the process of “softening” the male penis is disrupted.
True priapism - what is it? It is characterized by an uncontrollable sudden erection of the penis, which can occur in any, even the most inappropriate place. There are two types of true priapism: ischemic and non-ischemic.
There is also chronic priapism, or pseudopriapism. Other names for this ailment: nocturnal intermittent sleep priapism. What is it, we will consider further. The disease is quite rare. Diagnosable, but very difficult to treat.
Causes of chronic priapism
Scientists do not agree on the sources of nocturnal priapism. A he althy man experiences brief, painless erections in his sleep that last seconds or a few minutes. They are spontaneous in nature and do not lead to the awakening of a person. Even if a man wakes up, then for a moment, and in the morning he does not remember about an erection.
In pseudopriapism, disturbances in the depth and structure of sleep are observed. Such changes provoke a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. Most patients suffer from neurosis, depression, schizophrenia. Sleep disorders can provoke organic damage to the brain, where neurosis-likesymptoms, concussion, contusion.
Sick people focus too much on true erections that occur at night. This enhances the course of the disease, in the future, erections already occur under the influence of neurotic disorders.
Sometimes chronic priapism can be a consequence of previous urethritis, prostatitis, or is a complication after instrumental urological manipulations (cauterization of the seminal tubercle, ureteroscopy). In a significant number of patients with pseudopriapism, prostatitis is detected during examination.
Ongoing survey
According to the conclusions of encephalography made by patients with nocturnal intermittent priapism, changes characteristic of depressive states were revealed. Therefore, the question arises: "Chronic priopism - what is it?". And the answer can be formulated as follows: pseudopriapism is not a male disease, but is the result of patients' painful increased attention to physiological nocturnal erections and anxious expectations. Men confuse cause and effect and blame their own erections for disturbed sleep.
Doctors analyzed endocrine disorders in patients with intermittent priapism. But no changes were found. Despite this, all patients who were prescribed female sex hormones noted an improvement in sleep and a weakening of nocturnal erections. But, unfortunately, after the drug is discontinued, its positive effect immediately disappears.
How does nocturnal priapism manifest itself? Symptomsdisease
The same type of patient complaints can be traced:
- almost every night, closer to the morning, they often wake up due to the onset of a strong erection;
- sometimes get erections during naps;
- notice pain, a feeling of "rush" to the penis and perineum;
- insomnia;
- in the morning they feel lethargy, weakness, apathy, lowered mood;
- the desire for sexual intimacy is becoming less and less;
- decrease in the number of adequate erections;
- sexual excitability can be increased during the day, an erection easily appears when communicating with the opposite sex;
- accelerated ejaculation during intercourse.
Course of illness
The disease has a long course. At the beginning of the disease, nocturnal erections occur once a week. Then there is their increase and intensification, they can happen from two to five times at night. Pain in the perineum and in the penis increases with each case. Sleep becomes restless, superficial.
Diagnosis of pseudopriapism
Recognition of the disease and diagnosis of chronic priapism is not difficult. Unlike true nocturnal priapism, it is characterized by a decrease in erection after a man wakes up, after going to the toilet (after urination or bowel movements).
Also, the reduction of erectile tension is favored by: walking around the room, active movements, applying chilled lotions to the penis orlong rest and change of habitual environment. But all these manipulations do not cure the disease, but only alleviate suffering for a while.
How to overcome sleep priapism?
If men who are just beginning nocturnal intermittent priapism were treated in time, the treatment would not be so long. In the early stages, when sleep disturbance occurs due to spontaneous painful erections, autogenic training, psychotherapy and hypnosis sessions help well.
If the patient seeks medical help late, the above methods will no longer be enough. Therefore, to stop the pathological response of men to nocturnal erections, a long course of treatment with various psychotropic drugs is prescribed.
Patients are forced to take antidepressants ("Pyrazidol", "Azafen", "Amitriptyline"), tranquilizers ("Seduxen", "Elenium", "Phenozepam"), hypnotics and neuroleptics ("Stelazin", "Teralen", "Etaperazine"). The choice of drug is up to the doctor. Electrosleep and acupuncture sessions are added to the treatment.
If men suffering from pseudopriapism are also diagnosed with inflammatory diseases in the genital organs, it is necessary to sanitize them.
