The painful and persistent erection, scientifically known as priapism, is an emergency situation that can arise as a complication of the use of some medications or blood disorders, such as blood clots, sickle cell anemia or leukemia, for example.
Since this change causes an erection that does not pass, lesions on the penis can occur due to excess blood and, therefore, treatment should be done as soon as possible in the hospital.
Generally, the man can recover fully without having any kind of sequelae, however, it is important to go to the emergency room as soon as possible to avoid the appearance of injuries.
How to identify
Symptoms may vary according to the type of priapism, with ischemic priapism, which is the most dangerous, causing:
- Erection that lasts more than 4 hours, not needing to be related to sexual desire; Penis body very hard, but with softened tip; Severe pain that can get worse over time.
In the case of non-ischemic priapism, the symptoms are similar, but there is no pain. However, both situations are at risk of causing permanent damage to the penis, which can result in erectile dysfunction, and it is recommended to go to the hospital when the erection causes pain and it takes more than 1 hour to disappear after finishing the stimulus.
Because it happens
Erection is a natural process that occurs when there is a physical or psychological stimulus, due to increased blood circulation to the penis, leading to an increase in size. Normally, the erection disappears a few minutes after sexual pleasure or after the end of the stimulus, because the veins relax and the blood flows out of 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 intimate region, preventing the erection from disappearing.
In addition, the use of drugs, strokes in the intimate area and the consumption of some drugs, such as sexual stimulants, antidepressants or anticoagulants, can also lead to this problem.
How the treatment is done
The most used treatments for priapism include:
- Use of cold compresses: allows to relieve swelling of the organ and to decrease 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 drugs: they make the veins narrower, decreasing the amount of blood that reaches the penis.
In the most serious cases, where it is not possible to solve the problem with these techniques, the doctor may also recommend surgery to block the artery that leads the blood to the penis or to drain all the blood from the organ.
Generally, the man is able to recover fully without having any kind of sequelae, however, it is important to go to the emergency room as soon as possible to avoid the appearance of injuries.
Possible complications
The blood that gets trapped inside the penis has less oxygen and, therefore, small lesions appear due to lack of oxygen. When the erection lasts for a long time, the lesions get worse, which can lead to the appearance of erectile dysfunction.
