Thanks to commercials for erectile dysfunction drugs, men know to seek medical attention for "erections lasting more than four hours," but a new study suggests a blood disorder is the cause of many prolonged erections. "I would say what the paper is telling us is that sickle-cell disease is still responsible for the bulk of the visits for priapism," said Dr. Gregory Broderick, professor of urology at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, who was not involved in the study.

Reuters by Andrew Seaman

Tags: Dr. Gregory Broderick, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, priapism, prolonged erection, Research, Reuters, sickle cell disease, Urology