Sexual Dysfunction Is Common in IBD Patients

Sexual dysfunction (SD) is common among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), affecting 54% of women and 43% of men with the condition, according to a recent study.

Currently, improvement in quality of life is an important objective for patients with IBD. However, little information exists on the prevalence of SD among individuals with IBD.
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For their study, the researchers evaluated 358 patients with IBD, of whom 192 were women, 238 had Crohn disease (CD), and 120 had ulcerative colitis (UC). Also included in the study was a second comparative group of 110 healthy controls (54 women), and 107 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS; 54 women). All patients included in the study had been seen at 2 tertiary centers over a period of 2 months.

Patients with IBD, as well as healthy controls and patients with IBS, were administered questionnaires about sexual function (either the Female Sexual Index Function or the International Index of Erectile Function).

Results indicated that 53.6% of women with IBD had SD, compared with 28% of healthy controls and 77.5% of women with IBS. In men, 16.9% with IBD had experienced erectile dysfunction (ED), compared with 13% of healthy controls and 55% with IBS.

Factors including social and emotional functioning, anxiety in women, and depression in men were predictors of SD and ED. The researchers noted that IBD activity was not associated with SD.

“In IBD, 54% of women have an SD and 43% of men an ED,” the researchers concluded. “These rates are significantly higher than in HC, mostly driven by psychological factors, and independent from disease severity.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Rivière P, Zallot C, Desobry P, et al. Frequency of and factors associated with sexual dysfunction in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. J Crohn Colitis. 2017;11(11):1347-1352. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjx100.