He contracts dengue fever and begins to experience erections that last 18 hours: the ordeal of a teenager who could not have imagined such a symptom.

One of his symptoms, directly linked to the virus, particularly caught his attention: an incomplete erection lasting up to 18 hours, non-painful and continuous.

a case “Extraordinary”, According to doctors at Ouagadougou University Hospital Center in Burkina Faso. These professionals describe in the March 2024 journal Urology Case Reports, the case of a 17-year-old girl. The young man was suffering from severe dengue fever, an infectious disease carried by tiger mosquitoes.

“We report an unusual case of spontaneous arterial priapism in a 17-year-old adolescent who was recently admitted to the nephrology department for acute tubular necrosis after severe dengue fever”,

explains the doctors at the hospital center.

Arterial priapism? This erectile dysfunction manifests itself as an involuntary penile erection that lasts for more than four hours and without any sexual stimulation. It is most often due to trauma responsible for dysregulation of arterial flow to the corpora cavernosa.

“An incomplete, non-painful and continuous erection”

The 17-year-old student had no medical history. He was hospitalized in nephrology for 5 days. “For about 18 hours, he presented with an incomplete, non-painful and continuous erection, which occurred spontaneously without any sexual stimulation, without any trauma or the perception of any aggravating factor, prompting the health care team to seek urological consultation. “ Explain to doctors.

An ice pack was placed on the youth’s penis. After 48 hours, complete detumescence was observed, with no after-effects. The patient was seen by a urologist for follow-up at 3 and 6 months; Corpora cavernosa were tender and erection normal.

Vascular leak responsible for priapism

While arterial priapism is commonly seen after penile trauma or surgery, how do we explain it in this adolescent?

Dengue is a hemorrhagic fever that increases vascular permeability, leading to vascular leakage.. “These vascular leaks and hemorrhagic manifestations can bypass the Helician arteries when they occur in the cavernous arteries (

Arteries that allow erection, editor’s note) Passing blood directly from the cavernous artery to the corpora cavernosa. This will result in irregular arterial blood flow to the corpora cavernosa, causing high-flow priapism. Details of article authors.

“This case offers us a unique opportunity to deepen our understanding of the complex interactions between dengue and priapism, thus pushing the limits of our clinical expertise. We note that severe dengue can also cause priapism. Both arterial and venous”, Doctors conclude.

From 2000 to 2019, the number of dengue cases increased from 500,000 to 5.2 million, according to the WHO. 2019 saw an unprecedented increase, with 129 countries reporting cases. In 2022, in France, the number of autochthonous dengue cases increased significantly, with 66 autochthonous cases and 378 imported cases.

The upward trend is expected to continue in 2023 as the tiger mosquito responsible for transmission of the dengue virus is established in most French departments.