Koro (medicine) - Signs and Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms

Most of the victims complain about episodes of acute attack of genital retraction or genital shrinkage, sometimes both. According to these accounts, each episode usually lasted several hours, though the duration might be as long as two days. There are cases in which koro symptoms persist for years with either chronic and continuous or recurrent history. On top of retraction, other symptoms include a perception of alteration of penis shape, loss of penile muscular tone; in some cases when sufferers have no perception of retraction, they may complain of genital paraesthesia or genital shortening. The cardinal breast symptom is nipple retraction, in most cases into the breast mass.

Ideational components of koro anxiety neurosis include fear of impending death, penile dissolution and loss of sexual power. These cognitions of impending death with retraction and perceived spermatorrhea has a strong cultural link with Chinese traditional beliefs, as demonstrated by the fact that in general, Asians with complaints of genital retraction believe that the condition is fatal, unlike most Westerners. Other ideational themes are intra-abdominal organ shrinkage, sex change to female or eunuch, non-specific physical danger, urinary obstruction, sterility, impending madness, spirit possession and a feeling of being bewitched.

Extremely anxious sufferers and their family members may resort to physical methods to prevent the believed retraction of the penis. A man may perform manual or mechanical penile traction, or "anchoring" by a loop of string or some clamping device. Similarly, a woman may be seen grabbing her own breast, pulling her nipple, or even having iron pins inserted into the nipple. Physical injury is inevitable, which can be considered as a complication of the syndrome. These forceful attempts often lead to injuries, even death.