Persistent sexual arousal in a woman with associated cardiac defects and raised atrial natriuretic peptide

The persistent sexual arousal syndrome (PSAS) is a newly described entity where the woman becomes involuntarily genitally aroused for extended periods of time in the absence of sexual desire and is distressed by this situation. The cause of this sexual problem is not well understood. We describe such a case where the subjective feelings were confirmed by observing genital engorgement. In her case, PSAS came on after initiation of fludrocortisone given for hypotension and bradycardia that was associated with an atrial septal defect (ASD). We argue that the combined effect of the ASD and fludrocortisone may be associated with an increase in her levels of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). ANP causes profound vasodilation and vascular leakage. We postulate that the high serum levels of ANP in her case may be contributory to her PSAS.