Priapism

Abstract

Well-designed, random-sample, community-based epidemiologic studies of men with priapism are limited. Current data reveal that the incidence of priapism in the general population is low. A Finnish study, based on hospital discharge data, established the incidence of priapism between 0.3 and 0.5 cases per 100,000 personyears, with a peak incidence of 1.1 cases per 100,000 person-years in the final years of the study. This peak was attributed to the new use of intracavernosal vasoactive agents introduced for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (3). More recently, Eland et al. conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using the Integrated Primary Care Information database, a longitudinal computer-based record of all patients seen by general practitioners in the Netherlands (4). This study demonstrated a slightly higher incidence ofnoniatrogenic priapism (0.9 cases per 100,000 personyears) and a similar incidence of iatrogenic priapism. The incidence of priapism in the United States may be greater than that previously reported due to a higher incidence of hemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell.