Assessment of sexual dysfunction in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia

Sexual dysfunction is a highly prevalent condition in ageing men that considerably affects their quality of life, although it is a frequently neglected aspect of healthcare. The main predictors of sexual dysfunction are age and cardiovascular comorbidities such as hypertension, heart disease, hypercholesterolaemia and diabetes. Recently, the severity of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) has also been identified as a crucial risk factor for sexual dysfunction, independent of age and comorbidities. Despite the increased prevalence of sexual dysfunction with age, health-related problems and psychological factors, there is evidence that many older men remain sexually active. Currently available self-administered questionnaires assessing male sexual dysfunction focus almost exclusively on erectile function. There is evidence from recent large-scale epidemiological studies that ejaculatory dysfunction (EjD) is almost as prevalent as erectile dysfunction (ED), affecting nearly half of men aged > or = 50 years. Other domains such as orgasm, desire, and satisfaction with sex life are important and should be considered. There is thus a need to develop and validate more comprehensive and multidimensional instruments for assessing sexual dysfunction in ageing men. A new instrument, the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire (MSHQ), was developed and validated to assess these specific aspects of male sexual dysfunction . It consists of a 25-item self-administered questionnaire including three core domains (erection, ejaculation, satisfaction with sex life) and additional items related to sexual activity, desire and bother related to sexual dysfunction. The MSHQ scale has excellent psychometric properties and is well suited for use in clinical and research settings. A short form of the MSHQ scale is currently under development.