Prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with systemic lupus erythematosus and its related factors

Abstract

ObjectivesSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) affects all body organs. This disease has marked physiological, mental, and cognitive effects on the patient and results in sexual dysfunction, depression, and decreased self-confidence. This study was conducted to compare sexual function, depression, anxiety, stress, and the related factors in women suffering from SLE.Material and methodsIn this cross-sectional study, 340 women (170 with SLE and 170 healthy) aged 18–49 years were investigated. Convenience sampling was used to select the participants. In this study, a demographic questionnaire, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales – 21 Items (DASS-21), and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) were applied. Data were analyzed with SPSS 16 using Spearman’s correlation, χ2, Mann-Whitney, covariance, and multiple regression statistics; p-values less than 0.05 were considered significant.ResultsThe results showed a significant difference in sexual function between the SLE and healthy groups. According to covariance analysis, the difference remained significant after controlling for confounding factors (stress, depression, anxiety). Moreover, the effect of SLE on the sexual function had a significant correlation with age, life status, number and age of children, economic status, menstruation, duration of marriage, age at diagnosis, disease duration and activity, stress, anxiety, and depression. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that age, disease activity, depression, and life status had the highest correlation with sexual dysfunction in women with SLE.ConclusionsThe results of this study indicated that more attention should be paid to the sexual health of women suffering from SLE as a neglected aspect of their treatment, which requires an interdisciplinary approach to shift the care of these patients from a biomedical model to a biopsychosocial model.

Systemic lupus erythematosus and risk of sexual dysfunction: A systematic review and Meta-Analysis

“…The proportion of SLE patients reporting SD across studies ranged between 15% to 85.9%. 12–15 Shen et al. suggested that the frequency of self-reported impaired sexual function among SLE patients was significantly higher than healthy individuals (64.10% vs. 35.7%, p < 0.001).…”

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

“…Moreover, multiple regression analysis revealed that age, marital status, disease activity and depression, as evaluated using a demographic questionnaire, SLEDAI, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales – 21 Items respectively, had the greatest correlation with the FSFI in women with SLE. 13…”

“…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.…”

Sexual dysfunction among women with systemic lupus erythematosus: might it reflect cardiovascular disease burden?

“…In issue no. 1/2019 of the journal Reumatologia , Moghadam ZB et al in the article “Prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with systemic lupus erythematosus and its related factors” demonstrated that even young women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with a median disease duration of less than 10 years and inactive or moderately active disease, are more prone to sexual dysfunction compared to healthy controls (85.9% vs. 26.5%) [1]. Age and disease activity arise as major determinants of sexual dysfunction, whereas this aspect is usually underrated by healthcare physicians.…”