Table of contents:
- Is priapism related to sexual activity?
- Various causes of priapism
- 1. Low flow priapism
- 2. High flow priapism
- What happens if priapism is allowed?
- Can priapism be prevented?
Priapism or priapism is a condition that is common among men and can occur at any age. It is most common in boys between 5-10 years and in men from 20-50 years. If you suffer from this disorder, then you will experience erections that continue for 4 hours or more, even without sexual stimulation. For more information on priapism, let's have a look below.
Is priapism related to sexual activity?
Most people may have the misconception that priapism occurs as a result of sexual activity. However, actually this prolonged erection is not caused by sexual stimulation. In normal sexual function, an erection occurs when your penis is filled with blood and then settles until the onset of orgasm, which is when excess blood eventually leaves the penis.
However, in the case of priapism, blood cannot flow through the shaft of your penis, so the blood becomes stagnant after a while, turns acidic, and loses oxygen. As a result, the red blood cells in the blood become stiff and even make it difficult to get out of your penis.
Various causes of priapism
The main cause of priapism depends on the malfunctioning of the blood vessels and nerves in your body where blood is trapped, causing improper drainage of blood from your penile shaft tissue. The following are the two categories of priapism, low flow and high flow.
1. Low flow priapism
This type of priapism is the result of blood trapped in the erection chambers. This often occurs without cause in healthy men, but also affects men with sickle cell anemia, leukemia (blood cancer), or malaria.
2. High flow priapism
High flow priapism is rarer than low flow and is usually painless. It is the result of a ruptured artery resulting from injury to the penis or perineum (the area between the scrotum and anus), thus preventing the blood in the penis from flowing normally.
About 35% of priapism cases are idiopathic (no known cause) and 21% are related to drug therapy or alcohol abuse. In addition, 21% occurred due to trauma, and 8% due to blood disorders. Although there is controversy as to how priapism occurs, the widely accepted view is that priapism occurs as a result of injury or damage to the system that functions to lower the penis after ejaculation.
This damage can be caused by:
- Blood disorders, especially sickle cell anemia, myeloma, thalassemia, and leukemia.
- Trauma, whether accidental or after surgery.
- Damage to the nervous system, injury to the bones (especially the spine), but rarely results multiple sclerosis or diabetes (this usually involves an element of overstimulation, resulting in high blood flow to the penis accompanied by deterioration of the penile descent after ejaculation).
- Impotence drugs (especially those given by injection into the penis), such as:
- Papaverine.
- Prostaglandin E1 (alprostadil), which causes increased blood flow by dilating blood vessels in the penis (very rarely if given into the urethra or urinary tube on the penis).
- Phentolamine.
- Sildenafil (Viagra), almost unknown unless combined with other drugs, for example injections such as prostaglandins.
- Other drugs, especially in overdose:
- Psychiatric drugs: trazodone and chlorpronazine.
- Blood pressure drugs: prazosin and nifedipine.
- Anticoagulants: warfarin and heparin.
- Other drugs such as: omeprazole, metoclopramide, and tamoxifen.
- Alcohol.
What happens if priapism is allowed?
Ischemic priapism can cause significant complications. Due to a lack of oxygen, there are usually fatal complications if the priapism lasts more than four hours. Complications that occur include erectile dysfunction and defects in the penis.
Can priapism be prevented?
This condition can be prevented by treating the underlying medical cause, or it can be by changing the medication that has the side effect of priapism. Before you stop using the drug or change it, first consult your doctor.
