Efficacy of vitamin E in the conservative treatment of Peyronie's disease: legend or reality? A controlled study of 70 cases

Abstract

The medical treatment is indicated in the development stage of Peyronie's disease (PD) for at least 1year after diagnosis and whenever in case of penile pain. This research was conducted to demonstrate the possible effectiveness of vitamin E in PD treatment, whereas in the scientific literature this topic is much discussed. A total of 70 patients (age:26-69years, mean: 54.1±9.71) diagnosed with PD were enrolled in a conservative treatment. In addition to medical histories and physical examinations all patients underwent the following tests: International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire, penile ultrasound and photographic documentation, pain evaluation by a conventional 10-point pain scale Visual analogue pain scale (VAS). All 70 patients were divided into two different treatment groups: A and B, with different combinations of drugs: A=vitamin E+verapamil (injection+iontophoresis)+blueberries+propolis+topical diclofenac; B=verapamil (injection+iontophoresis)+blueberries+propolis+topical diclofenac. All patients were treated for 6months after which they underwent the same follow-up tests as performed prior to the treatment. Intergroup analysis revealed statistically significant differences: in the vitamin E group the effective plaque size reduction was -50.2% whereas in the control group the reduction was -35.8% (p=0.027). In group A the improvement of curvature occurred in 96.6% of the cases whereas in the control group B this occurred in 48.4% (p=0.0001), moreover, the mean curvature decrease was respectively -12.25° and -6.73° (p=0.01). IIEF score was significantly improved in group A patients with comorbidities and erectile dysfunction (p=0.025). Increase in plaque size occurred only in the control group (17.1%) (p=0.032). We can affirm that vitamin E can help to prevent the progression of PD. This study strongly supports the recommendation that the best approach for treating PD is multimodal therapy.