Rare penis condition causes 'four-hour erections' and could even lead to amputation

There's an uncommon penis condition that could lead to you getting a four-hour long erection.

For anyone with such an appendage, you'll know that typically you'll get an erection if sexually aroused, but they can occur randomly as well.

Having a random boner in the morning is a common occurrence, says one sexpert at the University of Rochester.

"You may hear people refer to waking up with an erection as 'morning wood', with the technical name of 'nocturnal penile tumescence'." they penned.

It's not uncommon for someone to wake up with a random erection (Getty Stock)

"Waking up with an erection can actually show healthy blood and nerve supply to the penis. It is more common in teens and young adults, but it isn’t something to be worried about at any age."

The expert went on to say that if you get random erections at different times of the day then it's probably nothing to worry about, but healthcare professionals have warned that if you're unfortunate enough to have one for hours on end, then you should seek out immediate medical attention.

And if you experience this, then you might have something called priapism.

What is priapism?

Mayo Clinic says of the condition: "Priapism is a prolonged erection of the penis. The full or partial erection continues hours beyond or isn't caused by sexual stimulation.

"The main types of priapism are ischemic and nonischemic. Ischemic priapism is a medical emergency."

One in 2,000 people with a penis suffer from the condition each year.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of ischemic priapism include erections that last longer than four hours and are likely unrelated to sexual interest, a rigid shaft but soft tip, and penile pain that gets progressively worse.

As to what causes such a condition, Dr Jeff Foster, a committee member of the British Society of Sexual Medicine explained to Metro: "Ischemic priapism is caused by blood not being able to leave the penis."

Ischemic priapism is classed as a medical emergency (Getty Stock)

What can cause priapism?

According to Mayo Clinic, a number of conditions could be the cause, including blood diseases; like leukaemia, sickle cell disease and hematologic dyscrasias, which affects blood cells, bone marrow or lymph tissue.

A number of medications can also be factor, like antidepressants, injections for erectile dysfunction, blood thinners or alpha blockers.

Recreational drugs, like marijuana and cocaine, can also be a potential cause of ischemic priapism especially.

What happens if you don't treat it?

If untreated, Dr Foster said that it can 'lead to oxygen starvation in affected cells, causing coagulation, clotting, and death of the affected penile area (penile necrosis)'.

"The chance of penile necrosis increases every hour it’s left untreated and, once it occurs, the damage could be irreversible and may lead to amputation," he added.

Nonischemic priapism is said to be rarer than ischemic. Symptoms are the same in that you may find that you have an erection lasting longer that four hours that's unrelated to sexual stimulation, but the penile shaft won't be fully rigid and you won't have any pain.

According to Dr Foster, this type of priapism is likely to occur in patients who have had past trauma to their penis.