title: Low testosterone has a similar prevalence among men with sexual dysfunction due to either Peyronie's disease or erectile dysfunction and does not correlate with Peyronie's disease severity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low testosterone (T) has been suggested as a risk factor for Peyronie's disease (PD) that may correlate with disease severity. Low T is common in men with sexual dysfunction but its role in the pathogenesis of PD remains unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of low T (<300 ng/dL) in patients presenting with PD or erectile dysfunction (ED), as well as disease severity between men with PD and either low T or normal T (≥300 ng/dL).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of 300 men with either PD or ED was conducted. Men were excluded for combined PD and ED, psychogenic ED, or prior T use. For men with PD, plaque size, degree of curvature, and surgical correction rate were compared.
  
  
  METHODS
  The main outcome measures were (i) mean T levels in men with PD or ED and (ii) plaque size, degree of curvature, and surgical correction rates among men with PD and either low T or normal T.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-seven men with PD and 98 men with ED were identified. Men with PD had mean total T and free T of 328 ng/dL and 11.5 ng/dL, while men with ED had mean levels of 332 ng/dL and 12.1 ng/dL, respectively (P > 0.05). Of PD men, 52.9% had low T, compared with 45.9% of men with ED (P = 0.35). T levels did not correlate with plaque size or degree of curvature in the PD group (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Men with sexual dysfunction characterized by either PD or ED had similarly low T levels, and low T did not correlate with PD severity or surgical correction rate. The comparable prevalence of low T in men with PD or ED suggests the high rate of low T in PD men may be related to a common process among men with abnormal erectile physiology and not specifically causative in plaque formation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: E Will
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Kirby
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Verges
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: Culley C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Carson
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Coward
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000097:blood; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000150:complications; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010411:Penile Induration / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone
keywords: Erectile Dysfunction; Hypogonadism; Low Testosterone; Peyronie's Disease; Sexual Dysfunction