Painful and persistent erection, known scientifically as priapism, is an emergency situation that can arise as a complication of the use of some medicines or disorders of the blood, such as blood clots, sickle cell anemia or leukemia, for example.
Since this change can cause injuries to the penis due to excess blood, your treatment should be done as soon as possible in the hospital. For this, the most commonly used treatments include:
- Use of cold compresses : it allows to alleviate the swelling of the organ and to diminish the amount of blood;
- Blood removal : It is done, under local anesthesia, by a doctor who uses a needle to remove excess blood in the penis, relieving pain and swelling;
- Injection of alpha-agonist remedies : make veins narrower, decreasing the amount of blood that reaches the penis.
In more severe cases where the problem can not be resolved with these techniques, the doctor may also advise surgery to obstruct the artery that carries the blood to the penis or to drain all blood from the organ.
Usually, the man can fully recover without having any kind of sequel, however, it is important to go to the emergency room as soon as possible to avoid injury.
How to identify
Symptoms may vary according to the type of priapism, and ischemic priapism, which is the most dangerous, causes:
- Erection lasting more than 4 hours, not needing to be related to sexual desire;
- Body of the penis very hard, but with the tip softened;
- Severe pain that may get worse over time.
In the case of nonischemic priapism, the symptoms are similar, but there is no pain. However, both situations present a risk of permanent damage to the penis, which can result in erectile dysfunction, and it is recommended to go to the hospital when the erection takes more than 1 hour to disappear after the stimulus is finished.
Why it happens
Erection is a natural process that happens when there is a physical or psychological stimulus due to increased blood circulation to the penis, leading to enlargement. Usually the erection disappears a few minutes after sexual pleasure or after the stimulation is over, because the veins relax and the blood leaves the penis allowing it to decrease in size.
However, some diseases, such as sickle cell anemia, leukemia, or other blood disorders, can alter circulation in the intima, preventing erection from disappearing.
In addition, the use of drugs, strokes in the intima and consumption of some drugs, such as antidepressants or anticoagulants, can also lead to this problem.
Possible Complications
The blood that gets trapped inside the penis has less oxygen and, as a result, small lesions appear due to lack of oxygen. When the erection lasts a long time, the lesions are getting worse, which can lead to the emergence of erectile dysfunction.
