Priapism

Priapism is a painful and serious medical condition when the erect penis refuses to return to its normal flaccid state within about six hours. The condition is a medical emergency and men should seek professional medical help as soon as possible.

The cause of the condition is not fully understood. Since the process of erection is a complex interaction of neurological and vascular mechanisms, the same is suspected about Priapism. Priapism may be associated with hematological disorders, especially sickle-cell disease, and other conditions such as leukemia, thalassemia, and Fabry's disease. It might be related to spinal cord trauma as well. There have been cases of reported Priapism in hanging victims.

Adults with sickle-cell disease often suffer from Priapism. In fact about 42% of adults with sickle-cell disease will eventually suffer from Priapism. Priapism can also be caused by certain medications. Intra- cavernous injections for treatment of erectile dysfunction have been shown to cause Priapism. Antidepressants and anticoagulants have also been reported to cause Priapism.

Medical help should be sought immediately any time the erect penis doesn’t become flaccid after six hours. The immediate treatment is to aspirate the blood from the corpus cavernosum. If this procedure is ineffective then intra-cavernosal injections of phenylephrine are administered. If all else fails surgical shunts are attempted.
At the onset of Priapism, no home remedy should be attempted and a help from a medical practitioner should be sought immediately. The prognosis for people with Priapism is good for complete recovery. However, the longer medical attention is delayed the higher the probability of permanent erectile dysfunction.