title: Depression as a prominent cause of sexual dysfunction in women with epilepsy.
abstract: The etiology of sexual dysfunction in patients with epilepsy is perceived as multifactorial, with seizure and medication effects being the most often discussed and analyzed factors. We used common statistical methods to evaluate the impact of type of epilepsy, antiepileptic medication, hormones, seizure control, and symptoms of depression and anxiety on sexual function in a group of 78 women with epilepsy. To assess sexual function, we used the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). To assess symptoms of depression and anxiety, we used the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories (BDI, BAI). Of all the observed factors, only BDI score was significantly correlated with FSFI score. There was no correlation between FSFI, hormonal levels, seizure frequency, and symptoms of anxiety. No differences were found between patients with focal and those with generalized epilepsies; between seizure-free and non-seizure-free patients; or in relation to the number and type of antiepileptic medications.
authors.affiliation: Brno Epilepsy Center, First Department of Neurology, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic. zel.v@seznam.cz
authors.forename: Věra
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zelená
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuba
authors.forename: Vladimír
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Soška
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rektor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000209:etiology*; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants