title: Priapism in the United States: the changing role of sickle cell disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few patients with priapism require inpatient management unless they are refractory to intracavernosal therapy. Their risk factors and outcomes are poorly characterized.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (1998-2006). Priapism patients were identified and analyzed over time by age, race, sickle-cell disease diagnosis, drug abuse, and penile operations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 4,237 hospitalizations for priapism were identified (30% white, 61.1% black, and 6.3% Hispanics). There was an increasing incidence of priapism over time, concentrated in the middle-age group. There were 1,776 patients (41.9%) with diagnoses of sickle-cell disease, with decreasing proportions over time. Drug abuse was reported in 7.9%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Inpatient diagnoses of priapism are increasing over time with relatively constant numbers of sickle-cell disease patients, suggesting rising nonhematologic causes of priapism. One theory is that increasing use of aggressive therapies for erectile dysfunction might play a role, especially when combined with drug abuse.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. chrouser@gmail.com
authors.forename: Kristin L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Chrouser
authors.forename: Onaopemipo B
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Ajiboye
authors.forename: Tolulope A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Oyetunji
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010413:Penis / Q000601:surgery; D011317:Priapism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001741:Black or African American