Once again, social networks demonstrate their extraordinary ability to make news resonate. It will have been enough from a podcast relayed by Slate so that the whole world is interested in the case of this American infected with Sars-CoV-2 and whose penis has shrunk by about 4 centimeters. Unsurprisingly, the excitement around this testimony acts like a distorting mirror. “In PubMed [NDLR : un registre mondial d’études scientifiques], to date there is no specific work reporting that there is an increased risk of penis shortening in patients who have contracted Covid, notes François-Xavier Madec, urological surgeon at the Foch hospital in Suresnes. “Let’s be reasonable. We must not believe that all men who catch Covid will suffer a reduction in their sexual organ”, adds Dr Antoine Faix, urological surgeon in Montpellier and member of the French Association of Urology (AFU) . For this specialist, the testimony relayed by Slate still has a positive effect: that of shining the spotlight on the sexual disorders linked to Covid, an area too little covered by the media according to him.
“We now have scientific literature confirming that the Covid would have an impact on the sexuality of the man and in particular on his erection. According to the most recent work carried out by American and Italian researchers, a man contaminated by the Covid would have between 1 2 and 3 times more likely to develop this kind of complication compared to a person spared by the disease”, explains François-Xavier Madec. Some publications are now talking about long sexual Covid. “The term is deliberately catchy”, comments Antoine Faix. However, the long Covid often has indirect effects on sexuality, notes the expert. For example, if a patient develops respiratory problems, chronic fatigue, brain fog, or joint pain, this will undoubtedly negatively affect their abilities. Similarly, the loss of taste or smell can reduce cravings.
“Like any serious pathology, the Covid could also lead to a deficiency in testosterone, one of the drivers of sexuality”, adds Antoine Faix. Finally, the rules of social distancing do not encourage rapprochements either. The classic kiss, which very often makes it possible to initiate sexuality, is not recommended because contamination by saliva is possible. Of course, there are other more direct links between the coronavirus and sexual disorders. “Biopsies carried out on patients with Covid have shown damage to the endothelial cells. These play an extremely important role. Located on the periphery of the vessels, they increase blood flow to the penis during erection,” says Dr. Madec. “In the event of endothelial dysfunction, the erection signal may not be given”, abounds Antoine Faix. Occasionally, the Sars-CoV-2 epidemic results in cases of priapism. At this time, the penis locks in the erect position.
Uncertainty about the duration of the effects
“Here, the blood hyperviscosity linked to the lack of oxygen results in engorgement in the penis. It is extremely serious, and the sequelae can be permanent”, explains Antoine Faix. Fortunately, the scientific literature only mentions four cases of priapism to date. But if we take into account the indirect effects, then many men are affected by erectile dysfunction. “According to a recent study carried out on a hundred people, 30% of patients who have had Covid suffer from it. This is not nothing. In our offices, we see men over 50, tobacco users or in slightly overweight. These profiles are more likely to switch to sexual disorders than younger people, with a certain “physiological margin”. The Covid therefore acts as an additional risk factor”, explains the doctor.
Is the damage caused reversible? “That’s the whole question. We still lack studies and especially a longer-term follow-up of infected patients to answer it. We detect abnormalities in the endothelial cells of the penis, an increase in erectile dysfunction at more than six months of Covid infection. We also know that erectile tissue, once damaged, is not renewed”, specifies François-Xavier Madec. By acting at the level of the endothelial cells to reinforce the rigidity of the penis and prolong the erection, Viagra makes it possible to treat certain patients.
“But maybe tobacco users, diabetics, the elderly or people with hypertension will recover their functions less well than others. And that the Covid will have made them switch. was not more often highlighted in the media, believes Antoine Faix. After all, there is an additional reason to get vaccinated.”