Sexual function in married men with Parkinson's disease compared to married men with arthritis

We evaluated the sexual function of 41 married men with Parkinson's disease (PD) and its relation to age, severity of PD, and depression. We used a group of 29 married men with arthritis for comparison. Total sexual functioning and categories of desire, arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction did not differ significantly between patients with PD and arthritis. For both PD and arthritis, increased age, severity of illness, and depression were associated with reduced sexual function. These results suggest that sexual dysfunction is common in married men with PD, but no more so than in men with another chronic illness that does not involve the nervous system.