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Serum testosterone levels are not associated with the severity of penile curvature in men with Peyronie’s disease—findings from a cross-sectional study

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 33, pages 832–838 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

We aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum testosterone (T) levels and penile curvature in a cohort of men presenting for chronic phase Peyronie’s disease (PD). Clinical data from 149 patients assessed for chronic phase PD between 2016 and 2019 at a single academic center were analyzed. Deformity assessment was conducted during an intracavernosal injection-induced rigid erection. Both total T (tT) and calculated free T (cFT) were assessed in every patient and considered as continuous variables or according to quartiles of the normal range. Hypogonadism was defined for tT < 10.4 nmol/L. Descriptive statistics and linear regression models tested the association between T values and the severity of penile curvature. Overall, median tT value was 15.9 (11.4–20.8) nmol/L in the whole cohort; median curvature magnitude and plaque size were 45 (30–60) degrees and 1.5 (0.8–2.0) cm, respectively. Penile curvature (40.0 vs. 45.0 degree; p = 0.7) and plaque size (1.5 vs. 1.3 cm; p = 0.4) were similar between eugonadal and hypogonadal patients. The magnitude of penile curvature did not differ across tT quartiles (p = 0.31). Both at univariable (β 1.32; p < 0.01) and multivariable (β 1.34; p < 0.01) linear regression model, only duration of PD was associated with the severity of penile curvature magnitude. The results of this cross-sectional study confirmed that there is no association between serum T values and the severity of penile curvature in patients with chronic phase PD. Only PD duration is associated with penile deformity severity.

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Fig. 1: Boxplot depicting penile curvature according to serum total testosterone as categorized according to quartiles of the normal range in men with chronic phase Peyronie’s disease.
Fig. 2: LOWESS curves depicting the relationship between serum total testosterone and penile curvatures in men with chronic phase Peyronie’s disease.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Luigi Candela, Luca Boeri

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Experimental Oncology/Unit of Urology, URI; IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy

    Luigi Candela, Paolo Capogrosso, Davide Oreggia, Walter Cazzaniga, Edoardo Pozzi, Federico Belladelli, Andrea Baudo, Costantino Abbate, Francesco Montorsi & Andrea Salonia

  2. University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy

    Luigi Candela, Luca Boeri, Davide Oreggia, Walter Cazzaniga, Edoardo Pozzi, Federico Belladelli, Andrea Baudo, Francesco Montorsi & Andrea Salonia

  3. Department of Urology, Foundation IRCCS Ca’ Granda—Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Luca Boeri

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Candela, L., Boeri, L., Capogrosso, P. et al. Serum testosterone levels are not associated with the severity of penile curvature in men with Peyronie’s disease—findings from a cross-sectional study. Int J Impot Res 33, 832–838 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-020-0340-7

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