Sickle cell disease accounts for many priapism cases

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Thanks to commercials for erectile dysfunction drugs, men know to seek medical attention for “erections lasting more than four hours,” but a new study suggests a blood disorder is the cause of many prolonged erections. While the condition – formally known as priapism – is rare, researchers report in The Journal of Urology that between 14 percent and 30 percent of cases that show up in U.S. emergency rooms are men with sickle-cell disease. …