Impairment of Sexual Life in 3,485 Dermatological Outpatients From a Multicentre Study in 13 European Countries.
Skin conditions may have a strong impact on patients' sexual life, and thus influence personal relationships. Sexual issues are difficult to discuss directly in clinical practice, and a mediated instrument may be useful to capture such information. In this study item 9 of the Dermatology Life Quality Index was used to collect information on sexual impact of several skin conditions in 13 European countries. Among 3,485 patients, 23.1% reported sexual problems. The impairment was particularly high in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa, prurigo, blistering disorders, psoriasis, urticaria, eczema, infections of the skin, or pruritus. Sexual impact was strongly associated with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. It was generally more frequent in younger patients and was positively correlated with clinical severity and itch. It is important to address the issue of sexual well-being in the evaluation of patients with skin conditions, since it is often linked to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal ideation.
Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata (IDI)-IRCCS FLMM, Via dei Monti di Creta 104, IT-00167 Rome, Italy. fg.sampogna@gmail.com, fgsampogna@yahoo.com.
Francesca
F
Sampogna
Damiano
D
Abeni
Uwe
U
Gieler
Lucía
L
Tomas-Aragones
Lars
L
Lien
Géraldine
G
Titeca
Gregor B E
GB
Jemec
Laurent
L
Misery
Csanád
C
Szabó
M Dennis
MD
Linder
Andrea W M
AW
Evers
Jon Anders
JA
Halvorsen
Flora
F
Balieva
Jacek C
JC
Szepietowski
Dmitry V
DV
Romanov
Servando E
SE
Marron
Ilknur K
IK
Altunay
Andrew Y
AY
Finlay
Sam S
SS
Salek
Jörg
J
Kupfer
Florence
F
Dalgard
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015897:Comorbidity; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003880:Dermatology; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult