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. 2024 Dec 28;45(1):9.
doi: 10.1007/s00296-024-05758-3.

Perceived effects of health status on sexual activity in patients with axial spondyloarthritis: a 5-year follow-up study

Gudrun Rohde  1   2 , Kari Hansen Berg  3 , Are Hugo Pripp  4   5 , Glenn Haugeberg  6   7
Affiliations

Perceived effects of health status on sexual activity in patients with axial spondyloarthritis: a 5-year follow-up study

Gudrun Rohde et al. Rheumatol Int. .

Abstract

Axial spondyloarthritis (ax-SpA) causes pain, fatigue, stiffness, loss of physical function, and poor health status, which can influence sexual activity and enjoyment. To explore whether patients with ax-SpA perceive that their health status effects their sexual activity and to identify predictors of these perceived effects on sexual activity after a 5-year follow-up. Data about demographics, disease, medication, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and sexual quality of life (SQOL) were collected at the baseline and 5-year follow-up. The perceived effect of health status on sexual activity was measured by question 15 in the 15D questionnaire. Data were analysed using the McNemar and independent paired t tests and logistic regression. In the 244 patients with ax-SpA (30% women, 70% men; mean age, 46 years), measures reflecting disease activity decreased and comorbidities increased, and more patients were treated with biological drugs at 5 years. Compared with patients whose health status had little/no effect on sexual activity (n = 200), those who perceived that their health status had a large effect on sexual activity (n = 44) were older, exercised less, fewer were employed, had more comorbidities, higher disease activity, and lower HRQOL and SQOL. The baseline predictors of a negative effect of health status on sexual activity were old age and low SQOL. Patients reporting that their health status had a large effect on sexual activity at 5 years were older, had more disease activity, and lower HRQOL and SQOL.

Keywords: Axial spondyloarthritis; Follow-up; Health status; Sexual activity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Compliance with ethical standards: The study was approved Ethics by the Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics, Norway (REK #4.2007.2152). All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual respondents included in the study. Informed consent: Written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Data in the study were anonymized.

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