Erectile dysfunction and priapism

Priapism (name taken from a Greek word which represent a god with abnormally long and permanent erectile), Priapism is a type of medications which is used for  penis to reach erection but it is considered harmful and painful beside it’s major problem which is that penis can’t  get back to its original flaccid state despite the absence of stimulating factors for four hours period.

Types of Priapism

1. Low flow: in this type usually blood can’t return properly from the organ(penis)  to the body.
2. High flow: in this type the vascular blood system circuit is short partway along the organ.

The treatment differs between these two types, but both are considered emergent situations that needs to be medically treated, and is recommended to be treated as fast as possible to have effective recovery and no further complications.

Reasons and causes for the problem
Causes hasn’t been understand well, but they usually related to factors concerning nerve and vascular system, it is stated that Priapism is a death leading medicine beside all the haematological complications and side effects it can cause such as sickle-cell disease, other disease as leukemia, thalassemia and Fabry’s disease, and neurologic disorders such as spinal cord lesions and spinal cord traumm also some new research says that priapism can raise the level  of the biochemical adenosine that lead to the condition, since it make the blood vessels expand and let the blood flow into the penis.

• Priapism can be found in advanced cases of rabies.
• Also can be caused as a reaction to certain medicine, commonly are intra-cavernous injections for treatment of erectile dysfunction (papaverine, alprostadil).
• Priapism is stated to happen as a result of bites from spider such as Brazilian wandering spider and  black widow spider.

Complications of priapism

• Priapism can cause a type of ischemia which may also in some cases evolve to gangrene that will usually require penis imputation.
• Also can lead to the blood vessels of the penis to be damaged and cause deterioration to the penis or can result impotence.

Treatments for priapism
Medical intervention should be done in cases of erection for more than 4 hours and if the patient has sickle cell the first step of tretment in that case is to make blood exchange transfusion not deal with it surgically, in case of  regular patient oral  pseudoephedrine may be beneficial .