Sexual problems in young patients with Parkinson's disease

The purpose of this study was to describe sexual function in a representative group of young patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Twenty-five patients (15 men, 10 women; age range 36-56 yrs) participated in a structured interview on sexual function. Forty percent of the men and 70% of the women reported changed libido while 33.4% of the men and 80% of the women experienced changed sexual activity after onset of PD. A tendency to changes in libido and sexual function was seen with increasing time of treatment and advanced Hoehn-Yahr stages. It is concluded that changes in libido and sexual function occur more frequently than previously reported, especially in women, and more attention should be paid to these problems.