# Risk of relationship separation in men with Peyronie’s disease in a matched Swedish cohort

## TL;DR

Men with Peyronie’s disease face a higher risk of relationship separation compared to others, according to a study using Swedish national data.

## Contribution

This is the first study to quantify the increased risk of relationship separation specifically in men diagnosed with Peyronie’s disease.

## Key findings

- Men with Peyronie’s disease had a 13% higher risk of relationship separation.
- The yearly separation rate was 18% higher for men with Peyronie’s disease.
- The increased risk remained after adjusting for socio-economic status and follow-up year.

## Abstract

Peyronie’s disease (PD) has detrimental effects on the quality of life, mental health, sexual functioning and several other aspects that increase the risk of relationship problems. However, no study to date has assessed the risk of relationship separation in med with PD. Herein, we utilized data from Swedish national registers to examine the risk of relationship separation in men with PD. We conducted a matched cohort study on men born 1933–1992, followed from 1997 to 2013. PD was defined as a physician-assigned diagnosis according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth version. Each man with PD (n = 8020) was matched with 10 comparison men. We defined relationship separation as (1) ever separated, and (2) separation rate. We used log-linear regression to estimate the risk ratio, and rate ratio of relationship separation. We adjusted for matching variables (birth year and country of birth), and an indicator of each follow-up year. We found that men with PD had a 13% increased risk of relationship separation (risk ratio 1.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08–1.17). The rate of relationship separation events, measured on a yearly basis, was increased by 18% (rate ratio 1.18, CI 1.12–1.24), and remained similar when adjusting for follow-up year and socio-economic status.