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Sexual function in male patients with obstructive sleep apnoea
Marian Petersen1, Ellids Kristensen, Søren Berg
1Department of Respiratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
The Clinical Respiratory Journal
|June 23, 2010
Summary
Male patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) experience worse sexual function compared to the general population. This dysfunction is linked to age, obesity, and social factors, not OSA severity.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Sleep Medicine
- Sexual Health
Background:
- Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a prevalent condition affecting sleep quality.
- Sexual health is an important aspect of overall well-being.
- Limited research exists on sexual function in male OSA patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate general and functional aspects of male sexuality in patients diagnosed with OSA.
- To compare sexual function in OSA patients with normative population data.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 308 male patients (aged 30-69) diagnosed with OSA.
- Utilized Fugl-Meyer Life satisfaction checklist (LiSat) and Brief Sexual Function Inventory (BSFI) questionnaires.
- Data collected from patients admitted to a sleep laboratory.
Main Results:
- Male OSA patients exhibited poorer general and functional sexual aspects compared to normative data.
- Sexual function was influenced by age, obesity, social factors, and medication.
- No significant correlation was found between sexual dysfunction and OSA severity (apnoea-hypopnoea index) or subjective sleepiness.
Conclusions:
- Sexual dysfunction is more common in male OSA patients than in the general population.
- The complexity of sexual dysfunction in OSA relates to age, obesity, social factors, and comorbidities.
- OSA severity alone is not the primary determinant of sexual dysfunction in these patients.
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