Body Image Disturbances Have Impact on the Sexual Problems in Chinese Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients

Abstract

SLE might affect all aspects of life including sexual functioning; previous study found that body image disturbance (BID) was the most powerful predictors of impaired partner relationships and sexual function. The current study investigated the relationship among disease parameters, quality of life, the psychological status, BID, and sexual problems in Chinese patients with SLE. A self-report survey design was administered to 168 SLE patients and 210 healthy individuals. Our results showed that 86 (55.1%) SLE patients reported impaired relationships with a sexual partner or partners, and 100 (64.1%) patients reported impaired sexual function which were significantly higher than the control group (31.6%, 35.7%, rep.). Age, marital status, depression, and BIDQ were the most powerful predictors of impaired partner relationships, while BIDQ3 and education, disease activity, and depression were the most significant causes of impaired sexual function. The study for first time reported Chinese SLE patients had sexual problems and BID was associated with sexual problems. So, early detection and interventions might not only rehabilitate the patients and their loved ones, but also improve overall health outcomes and reduce the direct and indirect costs of their medical care.

CXCL13 Promotes Proliferation of Mesangial Cells by Combination with CXCR5 in SLE

“…Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a typical autoimmune disease with abundant production of autoantibodies [ 1 ]. Through the binding of antigen and antibody, the immune complexes develop and deposit in various blood vessels, leading to multiorgans or systems involvement [ 2 , 3 ], which severely disturb the quality of life of patients [ 4 , 5 ]. Although recent studies about the pathogenesis of SLE have achieved great progress, the exact mechanism remains ambiguous [ 6 ].…”

Sexual dysfunction in Egyptian females with systemic lupus erythematosus: a cross sectional study

“…They detected that education, emotional distress, disease activity and depression, as assessed by the Body Image Disturbance questionnaire, SLEDAI and the Revised Self-Rating Depression Scale, respectively, are the most significant causes of sexual dysfunction in their cohort. 12…”

“…About 75% of the study patients and controls, separately, suffered from sexual dysfunction, which is a remarkably higher prevalence than that of other reports. 12–15 However; the comparison between Egyptian females and those of other ethnicities could be unfair. Sexuality being a taboo that women fail to express and reveal freely in Arabian societies, there were no equivalent studies to compare with in similar populations.…”

“…5–10 Several studies have addressed the issue of sexual dysfunction in SLE women and tried to find relationships between sexual dysfunction and several variables, with controversial results. 11–18 Some studies found an increased frequency of sexual dysfunction among SLE female patients compared with controls; 12–14 however, others did not find a difference. 15–17 Scarce data are available about Arab women.…”

Impact of Rheumatoid Arthritis on Body Image Disturbance

“…There is limited quantitative research focused on body image of RA patients, most current studies being qualitative research. [11][12][13][14] Early research on BID of RA patients stated that RA patients often admitted that they were less charming than healthy control groups. 15,16 It has been recognized that a number of factors, such as demographic variables (e.g.…”