Prevalence, predictors and age‐related sexual and erectile dysfunction in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A tertiary centre experience

Abstract

Introduction The impact of sexuality and quality of life (QOL) is one of the main concerns of IBD. Despite the obvious relevance of this problem, knowledge of the extent of sexual dysfunction (SD) in IBD is limited. Aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of SD and erectile dysfunction (ED), QOL their predictors, and their age‐related dynamic in IBD patients. Methods In this cross‐sectional study, 202 IBD patients [122 male, 80 female, 133 Crohn's disease (CD), 69 ulcerative colitis (UC)] fulfilled International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) or Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI). QOL was assessed using IBDQ‐32 through bowel, systemic, emotional and social domains. Results Prevalence of SD in men was 18%, ED 30.3% and SD in women 75%. Low QOL was present in 34.6% without gender difference (P = .253). In men, SD and ED were highest among 21‐30 years and raising after 51 years of age. In women, SD was constantly highly prevalent, showing no decline over time. In multivariate analysis significant predictors of SD in men were CD phenotype, disease duration and emotional domain of IBDQ, of ED depression, emotional and bowel domain of IBDQ, and of SD in women emotional IBDQ domain. Conclusion Quality of sex life is a serious concern among IBD patients and is age related. Components that play a role in sexual functioning in IBD require more clarification and further development of screening and treatment guidelines for SD to provide better care in the IBD population.

The Causal Effect of Digestive System Diseases on Risk of Erectile Dysfunction : A Mendelian Randomization Study

“…The relationship between IBD and ED remains enigmatic in existing literature. Some studies suggest no signi cant correlation between IBD and ED [28,29], while others indicate a positive correlation between IBD and the risk of ED [30,31]. Nonetheless, our research ndings show a clear causal relationship between Crohn's disease and ED, while ulcerative colitis doesn't exhibit a signi cant causal relationship with ED.…”

Sexual and reproductive health for women who live with inflammatory bowel disease:

“…This literature review highlights the multifaceted sexual di culties women who live with IBD have, such as painful intercourse, vaginismus, lower sexual satisfaction and desire and di culty with orgasm [13,[18][19][20][21][22][23]. The literature also highlights that there is a bidirectional relationship between depression and sexual dysfunction [16,17] which has been described in the broader literature by Velten and Milani [37].…”

“…Shmidt et al [23] found in the United States of America, 97% of 116 women participants across all age groups reported sexual dysfunction, which the authors explained was 47% higher than the general population. In the study conducted by Nisihara and colleagues [13] in Brazil, 82.5% of the 40 women participants reported sexual dysfunction and a Croatian study found that 75% of the 80 women who completed the FSFI had sexual dysfunction [20].…”

Sexual functions in individuals with inflammatory bowel diseases

“…Both problems were highest among 21–30-year-olds, increasing after 51 years of age. In multivariate analysis, significant predictors of sexual problems in men were CD phenotype, disease duration, and the emotional domain of the QoL questionnaire (IBDQ), while depression, emotional, and bowel domains of the IBDQ were strongly associated with erectile dysfunction [ 36 ]. Similarly to a study on female patients, CD (not UC) was associated with sexual dysfunction.…”