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Review article: the psychosexual impact of inflammatory bowel disease in male patients
Author(s) -
O'Toole A.,
Winter D.,
Friedman S.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.308
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1365-2036
pISSN - 0269-2813
DOI - 10.1111/apt.12720
Subject(s) - medicine , psychosexual development , sexual dysfunction , sexual function , psychosocial , depression (economics) , erectile dysfunction , disease , testosterone (patch) , quality of life (healthcare) , inflammatory bowel disease , mood , sexual intercourse , psychiatry , population , psychology , nursing , environmental health , psychoanalysis , economics , macroeconomics
Summary Background Knowledge of the extent and the impact of sexual dysfunction and interpersonal relationships in men with inflammatory bowel disease is scarce. Aims The aim of this review article was to summarise the current literature on sexual function in male patients with IBD and to provide a critical review of the IBD ‐related medical, surgical and psychological complications that can result in impaired quality of sexual health. Methods To collect relevant articles, PubMed/Medline and Embase searches were performed using Boolean search phrases. Results Reported rates of sexual dysfunction in male IBD patients range from 10% to 50%. Thirty‐three to fifty per cent of patients report that sexual desire and satisfaction deteriorated after IBD diagnosis. Of those patients who were sexually inactive, half of these attributed lack of intercourse to underlying IBD . A striking finding reproduced in numerous studies is that disease activity relates strongly to impaired psychological function, and the most consistently reported risk factor for sexual problems in IBD patients is co‐existing mood disorders. Hypogonadism is a complication of IBD and its therapies, the role of testosterone deficiency should be further explored as a potentially treatable and reversible factor in sexual dysfunction. Conclusions By understanding what factors contribute to poor sexual functioning in our patients, we can strive to minimise adverse psychosocial events. Further insight into this complex relationship requires an IBD ‐specific measure of sexual function in male patients. We recommend screening for and treating co‐morbid depression, testosterone deficiency and striving for clinical remission to prevent psychosexual dysfunction in male patients with inflammatory bowel disease.