Sexual Dysfunction in Patients with Epilepsy

Patients with epilepsy commonly report sexual dysfunction (SD) and reproductive difficulties. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between epilepsy, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and SD, and its association with the quality of life and depressive symptoms.

This was a prospective study carried out in a tertiary healthcare centre. SD was evaluated using the internationally acclaimed questionnaire Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) that was successfully translated into Croatian and validated for this purpose. Depressive symptoms and quality of life were evaluated using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D17) and Quality of life in epilepsy-31 inventory (QOLIE-31).

Of 108 patients (68 (63 %) women, 40 (37 %) men, mean age 39.54±15.91 (range18-80) years) with epilepsy, 16 (14.8%) had focal, 38 (35.2%) generalized and 44 (40.7%) both types of epilepsy. Mean overall total score on the ASEX questionnaire was 11.94±5.61 (mean total score women 12.85±6.00, mean total score men 10.4±4.55), with 48 reporting that they had sexual activity in the past week. Nine (8.33%) patients (7 (6.48%) women, 2 (1.85%) men, mean age 47.66±19.33 (range 25-80) years) had a score 19 and above, 38 (35.18%) patients (27 (25%) women, 9 (8.33%) men, mean age 46.82±17.78 (range 19-80) years) individual score 5 and above on any one item, and 33 (30.55%) patients (26 (24.07%) women, 7 (6.48%) men, mean age 48.87±17.8 (range 19-80) years) had an individual score 4 and above on any three items. Significant correlations were found between SD and older age (p=0.001) and between more pronounced symptoms regarding SD on ASEX and female gender (p=0.000). There were no significant correlations between the type of epilepsy and SD, nor between the AEDs (old generation vs. modern) and SD. Significant correlations were found between the SD and more pronounced depressive symptoms (p=0.003) and between the SD and a lower quality of life (p=0.001).

Results of our study suggest SD is experienced by around one-third of patients in our group, which is similar to the previous percentage of SD reported in the community sample. Women were found to experience more pronounced symptoms of SD on ASEX. Symptoms of SD were found to be significantly correlated with older age, female gender, lower quality of life and depressive symptoms, while no significant correlations were found with the type of epilepsy and the AEDs.