Sexual dysfunction among female patients with rheumatic diseases

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Sexual Medicine
• Psychosomatic Medicine

Background:

• Rheumatic diseases significantly impact patients' quality of life, including sexual health.
• Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common yet understudied complication in women with systemic sclerosis (SSc), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and Behçet's syndrome (BS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the burden of sexual dysfunction in female patients diagnosed with SSc, SLE, and BS.
• To identify predictors of sexual dysfunction in these patient populations compared to healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional comparative study included 50 SSc, 49 SLE, 54 BS patients, and 52 healthy controls (HCs).
• Psychometric assessments included the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Body Cathexis Scale, and Marital Adjustment Test (MAT).
• Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to determine independent predictors of SD.

Main Results:

• Patients with rheumatic diseases exhibited significantly lower FSFI and body cathexis scores compared to HCs (p < 0.001).
• Depression was more frequent in patient groups; SSc patients reported the lowest scores across all psychometric indices.
• Decreased body cathexis (OR 0.974), low marital adjustment (OR 0.937), and diagnoses of SSc (OR 6.6), SLE (OR 2.7), and BS (OR 2.8) were independent predictors of SD.

Conclusions:

• Sexual dysfunction presents a significant burden for women with SSc, SLE, and BS.
• Body cathexis (body image satisfaction) emerged as the most critical predictor of SD.
• Healthcare providers should address body image concerns to mitigate sexual dysfunction in patients with rheumatic diseases, particularly SSc.