One in ten Australian men suffer from a disease that causes their penises to curve, according to new research.
Peyronie's disease (PD) is a chronic inflammatory condition which presents as a curved penis and affects up to 13 per cent of the male population, news.com.au reports.
The disease develops when the penis tries to heal itself after being damaged — which can occur while erect or flaccid — and scar tissue develops in an unusual way, causing a deformity.
A new study of around 1300 Australian men was conducted by Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand and will be presented at their annual scientific meeting in Melbourne this weekend.
The study found one in six men with the condition experience pain or discomfort when they have an erection, more than a quarter are bothered by the appearance of their erect penis and one in five are bothered when they have sexual intercourse and report difficulty in having intercourse.