Publication:

Sexual dysfunction among married multiple sclerosis patients in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2020

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system characterized by episodic and progressive neurologic dysfunction resulting from inflammatory and autoimmune reactions. Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common disorder in both male and female patients complaining of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted including patients with MS attending Arfa MS Society in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected from participants using electronic pre-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was uploaded online using social media platforms. Multiple sclerosis intimacy and sexuality questionnaire (MSISQ-19) was used to assess sexual dysfunction. Patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to assess patient’s psychological health and depression.

Results The study included 303 patients with multiple sclerosis whose ages ranged from 20 to 62 years old with mean age of 34.7±8.2 years old. About 75.6% took a long time to reach orgasm. Feeling sexual pleasure was reported by 73.3% of the patients and 70% reported that they had less interest or less desire for sexual activity. In general, the patients score regarding primary sexual dysfunction was 13.7 out of 25 (54.8%), 24.4 out of 45 for secondary sexual dysfunction (45.2%), and 12.6% out of 25 for tertiary sexual dysfunction (50.3%).

Conclusions In conclusion, the study revealed that sexual dysfunction in multiple sclerosis patients is not a simple process. MS was associated with high sexual dysfunction with other psychological disorders affecting male and female patients equally regardless age and educational level.