SAN FRANCISCO – A high rate of sexual dysfunction in 112 men with chronic hepatitis C infection was independent of depression and led to reduced quality of life, Dr. David W. Wan reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
He and his associates administered three validated questionnaires to assess sexual function, depression, and quality of life in a prospective study of 112 patients with, and 239 men without, hepatitis C virus who were recruited from GI and primary care clinics. The men with HCV did not have decompensated cirrhosis and were not being treated with interferon-ribavirin regimens.
The HCV-infected patients were significantly younger than control patients (median ages 55 and 62, respectively) but they had significantly worse scores in all eight domains of the Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory (BMSFI), said Dr. Wan of New York University, New York.
The BMSFI assessed sexual drive, erection, ejaculation, and overall sexual satisfaction. The scores indicated that 54% in the HCV group were not sexually satisfied, compared with 29% of the control group. The difference remained significant after controlling for age, race, marital status, education, annual income, employment status, and use of alcohol or tobacco.
The HCV group had significantly worse scores on the Beck Depression Inventory, compared with controls, but within the HCV group the severity of depression did not correlate with sexual dissatisfaction.
Men with HCV who were not sexually satisfied scored significantly worse in all eight domains of health-related quality of life in the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36), compared with HCV-positive men who were not sexually dissatisfied.
The HCV group as a whole scored significantly worse, compared with controls in two domains of the SF-36–physical functioning and mental health. The SF-36 also assessed social functioning, physical role limitation, emotional role limitation, energy and fatigue, pain, and general health perception.
Although sexual dysfunction has been reported previously in patients with HCV, little is known about its association with the disease. HCV infection is associated with severe endocrine disorders such as thyroid disease and diabetes. The current study excluded patients from either group if they had diabetes, HIV or thyroid disease, cancer, prostate surgery, or alcohol or drug abuse, or if they were on methadone.