The symptomatic burden of Peyronie's disease at presentation according to patient age: a critical analysis of the Peyronie's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ) domains.

Peyronie's disease (PD) has a huge impact on patients' physical and psychological wellbeing.

To investigate whether patients' age has an impact on PD symptomatic burden at first presentation.

Data from 129 consecutive heterosexual patients seeking first medical attention for PD at a single andrological tertiary-referral centre were collected. All patients completed the International Index for Erectile Function (IIEF) and the Peyronie's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ). Descriptive statistics was used to compare clinical features between younger (≤40years) and older (>40 years) patients. Multivariable linear model assessed the impact of age, the degree of penile curvature, and their impact on PDQ (total scores and its domains), after adjusting for PD duration and IIEF-erectile function domain scores.

Of 129, 24 (18.6%) patients were ≤40 years old. Young patients presented with a less severe curvature than older patients (median (IQR) 20° (15-36) vs. 50° (40-80); p = 0.04). However, younger age was associated with higher Psychological and Physical Symptoms, PDQ-Penile Pain, and PDQ- Symptom bother scores (Coeff -0.11, -0.21, and -0.17, respectively) (all p<0.05). Moreover, the greater the degree of curvature, the higher the PDQ-Psychological and Physical Symptoms and the PDQ-Symptom Bother scores (Coeff. 0.21 and 0.22, respectively; all p<0.05).

Around one in five men seeking first medical help for PD is younger than 40 years at presentation in the real-life setting. PD-related distress varies according to patients' age, with younger men presenting with a greater risk of penile pain and symptom bother despite lower curvature. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Andrology. 2022 Nov 25 [Epub ahead of print]

Simone Cilio, Giuseppe Fallara, Paolo Capogrosso, Luigi Candela, Federico Belladelli, Edoardo Pozzi, Christian Corsini, Massimiliano Raffo, Nicolò Schifano, Luca Boeri, Alessia d'Arma, Ciro Imbimbo, Vincenzo Mirone, Francesco Montorsi, Andrea Salonia

Division of Experimental Oncology/Unit of Urology, URI, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, Circolo & Fondazione Macchi Hospital -ASST Sette Laghi, Varese, Italy., Department of Urology, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda -Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy., Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Odontostomatology, Urology Unit, University of Naples "Federico II", Italy.