Scoping review: Sexual dysfunction in people with epilepsy

There are many comorbidities related to epilepsy that affect the quality of life of people with epilepsy (PWE); sexual dysfunction (SD) is one of them.

We conducted a review to identify gaps in the literature to estimate the size of the problem and examined sexual dysfunction types, factors associated with SD, epilepsy care management, and facilitators/barriers reported for treatment success/failure.

We searched for articles on sexual dysfunction, sexual problems, sexual behaviour, and erectile dysfunction in relation to epilepsy. We searched research databases, including Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, and PubMed, for articles written in English and published between 2000 and 2023.

There is a high prevalence of SD in PWE, and multiple factors have been identified as being associated with SD. A range of validated questionnaire-based SD assessments is available. SD affects men and women differently. While several treatments and therapies are available to manage SD, there is limited evidence supporting their use for PWE. Healthcare professionals' lack of education relevant to SD affects their ability to treat PWE effectively.

Sexual problems are common in PWE. Healthcare providers should investigate drug-induced sexual problems as they can significantly affect patients' quality of life. Unfortunately, there are no established guidelines for treating sexual problems in epilepsy patients. More research is needed on treatments, and healthcare providers require additional education on SD-related issues to diagnose and effectively address these problems.