PMID- 38418867
OWN - NLM
STAT- Publisher
LR  - 20240228
IS  - 1476-5489 (Electronic)
IS  - 0955-9930 (Linking)
DP  - 2024 Feb 28
TI  - Hard flaccid syndrome symptoms, comorbidities, and self-reported efficacy and 
      satisfaction of treatments: a cross-sectional survey.
LID - 10.1038/s41443-024-00853-2 [doi]
AB  - Hard flaccid syndrome (HFS) is a poorly understood condition with no formal 
      consensus on its definition. We aimed to advance the understanding of HFS by 
      evaluating symptom prevalence, cause of symptom onset, comorbidities, and 
      self-reported efficacy and satisfaction with current treatments. An online, open, 
      42-question survey on Qualtrics with purposive and convenience sampling methods 
      was conducted between May 9 and June 9, 2023 on participants self-identifying as 
      having HFS. Participants were recruited through social media platforms. Only 
      58.0% of participants reported their HFS symptoms began following a specific 
      incident/injury. Changes in penis shape/size (92.3%) and rigid penis when not 
      erect (90.9%) were the most common complaints. Activities such as laying down and 
      stretching improved symptoms in 73.0% and 44.1% of the participants, 
      respectively, while masturbation and standing worsened symptoms in 75.9%, and 
      64.5% of the participants, respectively. Pudendal neuralgia (16.9%) was the most 
      prevalent comorbid condition. Of those who participated in therapies, 
      phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitor treatment had the highest patient global 
      impression of change (PGIC) score (2.6 +/- 1.1), indicating little to moderate 
      improvement in symptoms. All other therapies scored between 1 and 2, indicating 
      no change to little improvement in symptoms: pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) 
      (1.8 +/- 0.9), shockwave therapy (1.6 +/- 1.1), diet/nutrition changes (1.6 +/- 0.8), 
      nerve blocks (1.6 +/- 0.8), muscle relaxants (1.5 +/- 0.6), anti-inflammatory 
      medications (1.5 +/- 0.7), cognitive therapy (1.4 +/- 0.7), and nerve pain 
      medications (1.4 +/- 0.5). Overall, a direct injury to the penis may not 
      necessarily be the only cause of HFS for some patients, and current therapies 
      generally do not benefit most patients. A better understanding of the root causes 
      of HFS and innovative treatment strategies are greatly needed for HFS patients.
CI  - (c) 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.
FAU - Niedenfuehr, Jenny
AU  - Niedenfuehr J
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0001-6096-5881
AD  - College of Public Health & Health Professions, University of Florida, 
      Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA. niedenfuehrjenny@gmail.com.
FAU - Stevens, David M
AU  - Stevens DM
AD  - Independent researcher, Houston, TX, 77025, USA.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20240228
PL  - England
TA  - Int J Impot Res
JT  - International journal of impotence research
JID - 9007383
SB  - IM
EDAT- 2024/02/29 00:43
MHDA- 2024/02/29 00:43
CRDT- 2024/02/28 23:38
PHST- 2023/10/04 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2024/02/14 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2024/02/09 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2024/02/29 00:43 [medline]
PHST- 2024/02/29 00:43 [pubmed]
PHST- 2024/02/28 23:38 [entrez]
AID - 10.1038/s41443-024-00853-2 [pii]
AID - 10.1038/s41443-024-00853-2 [doi]
PST - aheadofprint
SO  - Int J Impot Res. 2024 Feb 28. doi: 10.1038/s41443-024-00853-2.