Evaluation of the sexual sphere in patients with psoriatic arthritis

• Published in: Reumatología clinica (Barcelona) 2023-05, Vol.19 (5), p.249-254
• Main Authors: Robustillo-Villarino, Montserrat, Alegre-Sancho, Juan José, Martínez-Ferrer, María de los Ángeles
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Arthritis, Psoriatic - complications; Arthritis, Psoriatic - diagnosis; Arthritis, Psoriatic - drug therapy; Artritis psoriásica; Comorbidities; Comorbidity; Comorbilidades; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disfunción sexual; Female; Humans; Obesity - complications; Psoriasis; Psoriasis - complications; Psoriatic arthritis; Sexual dysfunction; Sexualidad; Sexuality
• ISSN: 2173-5743; 2173-5743
• DOI: 10.1016/j.reumae.2022.06.007

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder that primarily affects the joints and entheses. In addition, it is associated with depressive syndrome (DS), cardiovascular disease, hypertension (HT), diabetes mellitus (DM), obesity and psoriasis (Pso). There are few studies aimed to analyze the association of the involvement of the musculoskeletal system with sexual function (SF). A cross-sectional observational study was proposed in patients diagnosed with PsA, to whom self-administered validated questionnaires were applied to determine alterations in SF: MGH-SFQ and CSFQ-14, which assess the 4 domains of sexual function; Qualisex and DLQI designed for joint and dermatological pathology respectively, which explore sexual aspects. The objective was to describe the existence of altered sexual function in patients with PsA; analyze the association between sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities (Pso, DS, cardiovascular risk factors) and the treatments of patients on SF; and describe differences of SF according to gender. 72 patients were evaluated. It was observed that the variables of patients with PsA that were associated with lower scores in SF were gender and age in the CSFQ-14 and MGH-SFQ; annual incomes, treatment with NSAIDs, DL and depression were associated with worse results in some domains of the sexual sphere. Patients with PsA had impaired SF, especially women, elder patiens, those with low annual incomes, DL and emotional disorders. Anti-inflammatory treatments were associated with better SF. Globally, the chronic disease and the psychological burden behaved as factors associated with sexual dysfunction. La artritis psoriásica (APs) es un trastorno inflamatorio crónico que afecta principalmente a las articulaciones y las entesis. Además, se asocia con el síndrome depresivo (SD), la enfermedad cardiovascular, la hipertensión (HTA), la diabetes mellitus (DM), la obesidad y la psoriasis (Pso). Existen pocos estudios dirigidos a analizar la asociación de la afectación del aparato locomotor con las alteraciones de la calidad sexual (CS). Se propuso un estudio observacional transversal en pacientes diagnosticados de APs a los que aplicaron cuestionarios validados autoaplicados para determinar alteraciones de la CS: MGH-SFQ y CSFQ-14, que valoran los 4 dominios de la función sexual; Qualisex y DLQI diseñados para patología articular y dermatológica respectivamente, que exploran aspectos sexuales. El objetivo fue describir la exist