While an erection normally occurs due to physical or psychological simulations, prolonged penile erections (priapism), are far from sexual stimulations. There are a couple of underlying factors which cause priapism and they include;
- Injury to genitals.
- Spinal cord injuries.
- Alcohol and other drug abuse (cocaine, heroin, and ecstasy).
- Blood disorders such as leukemia and sickle cell anemia.
- Spider bites or scorpion stings.
Why Does Priapism Occur?
There is no obvious cause of priapism as it can be triggered by a number of factors. The causes of priapism can be some of the medical explanations of why this condition occurs. Other than that, the main phenomena behind priapism can be attributed to the two major forms of priapism i.e. low-flow priapism and high-flow priapism. As for stuttering priapism, it is often a development of ischemic (low-flow) priapism, which is intermittent. Blood disorders result in priapism because they either cause blood to thicken or make red blood cells lose their flexibility and mobility. When blood does not flow out of the penis properly, it can also lead priapism, in particular, ischemic priapism.
There are three major forms of priapism and each is different from the other. High-flow or non-ischemic priapism is caused by an injury to the artery, which supplied blood to the penis. This type of priapism is rare and barely causes painful erections, which usually subside on their own. There is also low-flow or ischemic priapism which is caused by trapped blood in the penis blood chambers. This type is usually more painful and has long-lasting erection periods which can cause complications in the penis. It is a medical emergency that needs to be attended to as soon as possible before any irreversible damage is done. Finally, we have stuttering priapism, which is even a rarer condition that is characterized by recurrent episodes of prolonged penile erections.
Conclusion
It is important to understand why priapism occurs as it paves the way to prevent the condition from occurring. Other than that, doctors value the information as it helps them assess the best treatment for each type of priapism. Different forms of priapism will require different treatment therapies with regards to their symptoms and danger levels. For less severe priapism (high-flow), the best treatment is blocking/tying the artery causing the problem. For low-flow priapism, treatment can be offered through oral drugs, injections to drain blood or ice packs and pain medication to help with the swelling and pain. Priapism can also be treated by managing the underlying conditions, which triggered the disorder in the first place.
The occurrence of priapism is not fully understood as there is little information about the condition. Regardless, we know a few causes, which lead to its occurrence and understanding these causes extensively can help in building the body of knowledge of priapism.
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