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Observational Study
. 2022 Jan;42(1):121-126.
doi: 10.1007/s00296-021-05000-4. Epub 2021 Sep 28.

Sexual dysfunction and depression in Behçet's disease in comparison to healthy controls

Sebastian-Jonas Saur  1 , Alexandra Schlögl  2 , Torsten Schmalen  3 , Simon Krittian  4 , Ann-Christin Pecher  5 , Melanie Henes  6 , Theodoros Xenitidis  5 , Jörg Henes  5
Affiliations
Observational Study

Sexual dysfunction and depression in Behçet's disease in comparison to healthy controls

Sebastian-Jonas Saur et al. Rheumatol Int. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Behçet's disease (BD) can affect the genital system and is more common in Middle Eastern countries and Asia but also occurs in Caucasian people. Aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of sexual dysfunction (SD) and depression in patients with BD compared to a healthy control group (HCG). In addition, differences with regard to depression and patients' origin were evaluated. This prospective, monocentric study included 106 consecutive patients from our specialized BD outpatient clinic. Patients were asked to fill out the paper based standardized and validated questionnaires International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). In addition, 206 healthy controls were asked to fill out the questionnaires. 106 patients with BD were evaluated and 206 participants in the HCG. The mean age in BD group was 40.5 years as compared to 44.4 years in the HCG. Half of the patients had Middle Eastern and half Caucasian origin. SD was found in 24.5% of all subjects. Only 6.9% of male patients showed signs of SD, while half of the women's group was suffering from SD. The prevalence for SD was significantly higher in women with Middle Eastern ethnic origin compared to women with Caucasian origin (75 vs. 33.3%, p = 0.024). Erectile Dysfunction occurred in 55% of all male patients which was not statistical different from the HCG. Genital ulcers affected 73.6% of all patients. Depression was found in 36.7% of all subjects as compared to 6.25% in the HCG (p < 0.001). Both, SD and depression correlated positively in males (p = 0.017) and females (p = 0.013). SD and depression are very common problems in BD and should be addressed by the treating physician. Both manifestations are intensifying each other. Depression especially is more prevalent compared to the healthy population.

Keywords: Autoimmune diseases; Behçet syndrome; Depression; Erectile dysfunction; Sexual dysfunction.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prevalence of sexual dysfunction (SD) and depression in Behcet patients showing differences in gender and origin; * = Significant, n.s. not significant
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A Scatterplot with correlation of scores in BDI and IIEF of male MB patient. B Scatterplot with correlation of scores in BDI and FSFI of female MB patient
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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