Peyronie's Disease Prevalence

Population-Based Study of Peyronie's Disease: Prevalence and

Abstract
Purpose.
To estimate the US prevalence of Peyronie's disease (PD) from patient-reported data and to identify diagnosis and treatment patterns.
Methods. 11,420 US males ≥18 years old completed a brief web-based survey regarding the presence of PD, past treatments, and penile symptoms (Phase 1). Phase 1 respondents with PD diagnosis, history of treatment, or PD-related symptoms then completed a disease-specific survey (Phase 2).
Results. Estimated prevalence of PD ranged from 0.5% (diagnosis of PD) to 13% (diagnosis, treatment, or penile symptoms). Thirty-six percent of Phase 2 participants reported that penile symptoms interfered with sexual activities. Of participants who sought treatment for penile symptoms (n = 128), 73% initially saw a primary care physician, 74% did not receive treatment from their first doctor, and 92% were not diagnosed with PD.
Conclusions. PD may be underdiagnosed/undertreated in the US. Improved awareness is needed of PD symptoms and treatment options among health care professionals. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22110491

This new study touches on the difficulty there is in estimating how many men have peyronie's disease. I've heard various suggestions of how rare peyronie's is over the years, but it's not something that's easy to measure. Many men don't ever seek an official diagnosis due to fear or embarrassment. Add to that this study, which reveals that even those who do seek medical attention are often not initially diagnosed with PD. As such they frequently remain untreated at a time where they would best respond to treatment. The study goes some way to suggesting that peyronie's disease is, rather predictably very often underdiagnosed and undertreated.