title: Association between Peyronie disease and low serum testosterone levels: detection and therapeutic considerations.
abstract: The aim of this paper was to find a link between Peyronie disease (PD) and  bioavailable testosterone (bT)/free testosterone (fT) blood levels. Subjects  with no erectile dysfunction were prospectively studied with respect to 3  parameters: differences in bT/fT between 106 PD patients and 99 healthy  controls; differences in plaque area, penile curvature, and pain between 54 PD  patients with low bT/fT and 52 PD patients with normal bT/fT; and differences  in intraplaque verapamil efficacy between 20 hypogonadal PD patients  supplemented with testosterone and 23 hypogonadal PD patients administered a  placebo. Medical history, objective examination, and dynamic duplex scanning  of the penis, both before and 8 months after the end of the therapy (ie, at  the end of the study period), were used to assess PD. Testosterone  supplementation was carried out with testosterone buccal adhesive patches 2  × 30 mg/d for the entire study period. bT and fT were significantly  lower in PD patients than in control patients. The plaque area was  significantly higher in PD patients with low bT/fT than in patients with  normal bT/fT. No significant difference emerged when pain or penile deformity  were examined. Plaque area and penile curvature improved to a greater extent  when intraplaque verapamil injections were associated with testosterone  administration than when associated with a placebo. Men with PD had lower  bT/fT than healthy controls. In these patients, supplementation with  testosterone improved the efficacy of intraplaque verapamil. Plaque area and  penile curvature were more severe in hypogonadal PD.
authors: Andros Italia, Outpatient Clinic of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. giorgiocavallini@libero.it
authors: Giorgio
authors: G
authors: Cavallini
authors: Giulio
authors: G
authors: Biagiotti
authors: Cristoforo
authors: C
authors: Lo Giudice
mesh_terms: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000097:blood; D010411:Penile Induration / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014700:Verapamil / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D013739:Testosterone; D014700:Verapamil