A prolonged erection is known medically a Priapism which is defined as a prolonged erection developing in the absence of sexual stimulation and unrelieved by ejaculation. The period of time that elapses for an erection to be labeled a priapism is over 4-6 hours. Prolonged erections are reported side effects of taking impotence drugs such as Viagra or Cialis.

Priapism falls into two categories, venocclusive and arterial and it is important for you and your doctor to know which category your condition fits into because the treatment of priapism will depend upon the type you are experiencing. Venocclusive is an emergency situation while arterial form is not. Venocclusive priapism is caused by a failure of blood to drain from the penis which can be caused by prolonged blockage of the draining veins. Venocclusive priapism may be caused by paralysis of the erectile smooth muscle which is generally due to drugs or toxins or from the blood thickens which happens because of blood disorders.

The second type of prolonged erection arterial priapism, results from unregulated inflow of arterial blood into the penis which usually happens because of some sort of trauma to the penile area. There are a number of potential causes of venocclusive priapism, this form of prolonged erection includes, penile injection therapy usually used by men for erectile dysfunction, medications including drugs for depression, psychiatric conditions, certain blood pressure medications, cocaine, and blood disorders including sickle cell disease amongst others. Sickle cell disease is the common cause of prolonged erection in children and teens.

The person with prolonged erectile issues usually complains that getting an erection is painful but men with arterial priapism have an erection that is usually less than fully rigid and painless. Men with arterial priapism have usually had some form of blunt injury early in life.

When a man goes to the hospital for a prolonged erection the method of treatment is to undergo drainage of blood from their penis, medication will result in resolution of the problem in the majority of cases, but there are cases that will require surgery.

Men experiencing an erection lasting longer than 4-6 hours can expect a diagnosis of permanent erection problems. Researchers state that an episode of priapism of twenty-four hours or more is associated with an around 50 percent incidence of permanent erectile dysfunction. To ensure that a man does not suffer permanent damage is to seek medical treatment immediately.