title: Abnormal sexuality in Parkinson's disease: fact or fancy?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) variably report sexual dysfunctions. We assessed sexuality in PD by comparing sexual function between a large group of patients with idiopathic PD and a group of subjects without PD.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 121 patients with mild-to-moderate PD (aged 40-80years) from four Italian Movement Disorder Clinics and 123 non-Parkinsonian controls (NPC) (aged 40-80years). Sexual function was assessed with four scales: the Brief Index of Sexual Functioning (BISF-M for men; BISF-W for women), the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Both groups also underwent assessment with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and patients were assessed with the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-8 (PDQ-8).
  
  
  RESULTS
  No differences in total score were found between PD and NPC for any sexual function scale (BISF-M, BISF-W, IIEF, FSFI: p>0.05). However, the Orgasm/Pleasure Domain (BISF, D5) was significantly lower in male patients than in controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings fail to confirm previous findings that PD is associated with a significant sexual impairment. NPC and patients with PD have comparable sexual function in both sexes. Thus, rather than dismissing sexual dysfunction as a normal parkinsonian symptom, physicians should refer patients to sexual medicine specialists who can investigate and discuss problems fully, diagnose possible comorbidities, and suggest appropriate treatments.
authors.affiliation: Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy; III Clinica Neurologica, Polo Ospedaliero San Paolo, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Psicologia dello Sviluppo e della Socializzazione, Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Panzeri
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento Di Filosofia, Sociologia, Pedagogia e Psicologia Applicata, Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ronconi
authors.affiliation: Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ardolino
authors.affiliation: Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cogiamanian
authors.affiliation: Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barone
authors.affiliation: Unità di Neurologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bertolasi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche e Chirurgiche, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Padovani
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy; III Clinica Neurologica, Polo Ospedaliero San Paolo, Milano, Italy. Electronic address: alberto.priori@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Priori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D019529:Sexuality
keywords: BISF; FSFI; IIEF; Parkinson's disease; Sexual function; Sexuality