Title:Sexual Dysfunction in Women with Asthma and Associated Factors
Volume: 21
Issue: 3
Author(s): Mufide A. Ozkarafakili*Nihat Turkmen
Affiliation:
- Department of Chest Diseases, Şişli Etfal Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Huzur Mah. Cumhuriyet ve Demokrasi
Cad., Istanbul, Turkey
Keywords:
Sexual dysfunction, airway hyperresponsiveness, asthma, anxiety, inflammation, smoking, pulmonary functions.
Abstract:
Background: Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory airway disease. Female sexual
dysfunction (FSD) is frequently seen in asthmatics but often unnoticed in clinical practice. This
study evaluated the associations between asthma disease characteristics and FSD.
Methods: A total of 73 female asthma patients who visited the chest department outpatient clinic
and age-matched 73 healthy controls were enrolled. All the participants completed the questionnaires:
female sexual function index (FSFI), BECK depression, and BECK anxiety inventory, and
underwent pulmonary function tests. Patients with asthma completed an asthma quality of life
questionnaire (AQLQ) and asthma control test (ACT). FSD risk factors were analyzed using logistic
regression analysis.
Results: About 68.8% of asthmatics had female sexual dysfunction. BECK anxiety and FSFI
scores with all six subsets were statistically significantly lower than healthy individuals in asthmatics
(p < 0.001). CRP levels, BECK anxiety, and depression scores had inverse (r = -0.386 r =
-0.343 r = -0.286), and FEV1% had a positive correlation with FSFI total scores. About 37.5% of
asthma patients with FSD were current smokers, the most compromised domain of the FSFI scale
was sexual arousal with a mean of 2.94 ± 0.56 and their FEV1% was lower, and CRP was higher
than the asthma patients without FSD (p < 0.001, p < 0.021). Smoking, high levels of CRP and
BECK anxiety scores, and low FEV1% were found to be risk factors for FSD in regression analysis.
Conclusions: Female sexual dysfunction is frequently present in asthma patients. Smokers, patients
who have anxiety, lower FEV1% predicted values, and higher CRP levels tend to be susceptible
to sexual dysfunction, which implicates inflammation as an underlying mechanism.
