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Ventricular arrhythmias during sexual activity in patients with coronary artery disease
Y Drory1, E Z Fisman, Y Shapira
1Cardiac Rehabilitation Institute, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.
Insights
Sexual activity rarely worsens heart rhythm disturbances in coronary disease patients. Ventricular arrhythmias during intercourse are usually simple, similar to daily life, not exercise-induced patterns.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Electrophysiology
- Sexual Medicine
Background:
- Ventricular arrhythmias during sexual activity in coronary disease patients are not well-documented.
- Existing data is insufficient to guide clinical management or patient counseling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively analyze cardiac rhythm disturbances during sexual activity in patients with coronary disease.
- To compare arrhythmias during intercourse with those during daily activities and stress testing.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 88 male outpatients with stable coronary disease (mean age 52).
- Ambulatory ECG monitoring during sexual activity, daily life, and a near-maximal ergometric stress test.
Main Results:
- Arrhythmias occurred during intercourse in 56% of patients, versus 38% during exercise.
- Complex ventricular arrhythmias were detected in 12.5% during intercourse.
- Exacerbation of ectopic activity was common during exercise (89%) but rare during intercourse (11%).
Conclusions:
- Rhythm disturbances are not typically exacerbated during sexual activity in most coronary disease patients.
- Ventricular ectopic activity during intercourse is usually simple and similar to daily activity patterns.
- Findings suggest sexual activity may be safe for many coronary disease patients regarding arrhythmias.
Study Objective:
Information on appearance or increase of ventricular arrhythmias during intercourse in patients with coronary disease is still inadequate. This prospective study analyzes patients' rhythm disturbances on sexual activity and compares them with occurrences during daily activities and stress testing.
Patients:
The study included 88 male outpatients with stable coronary disease; ages ranged from 36 to 66 years (mean, 52 years).
Interventions:
Patients underwent ambulatory ECG monitoring, which included sexual activity, and a near-maximal ergometric test.
Results:
Arrhythmia was found during intercourse in 56% of patients, compared to 38% at exercise. Occurrence or exacerbation of ectopic activity was the dominant pattern in patients with arrhythmia at exercise testing (89%), but this exacerbation was found only in 11% of patients during intercourse. Complex ventricular arrhythmia during sex was detected in 12.5% of patients.
Conclusions:
Two main observations may be drawn from the study. First, rhythm disturbances were not exacerbated during intercourse in most patients. Second, if ventricular ectopic activity occurred on intercourse, it was most often simple and essentially similar to disturbances in daily activity.