Sexual Dysfunction in Patients with Chronic Pain

Abstract

Objective: Although sexual function is believed to be negatively affected by chronic pain, sexual dysfunction (SD) has been largely neglected in pain management. This study aims to determine the association of SD in male patients with chronic pain using self-completion questionnaires. Design: Male patients age 18 to 65 years, suffering from chronic pain are eligible for this study. All patients were asked to complete the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SFMPQ) and Revised Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (RODQ) to evaluate their pain and disability levels, respectively. The SFMPQ contains the sensory and affective dimension of pain experience, as well as a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Sexual function of the male patients was evaluated with the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), which includes 5 domains: erectile function, orgasm function, sexual desire, intercourse satisfaction, and overall satisfaction. Setting: Outpatient. Participants: Thirty-nine patients have completed this study. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Questionnaires. Results: The mean ages were 50.3 ± 9.2 SDV, and the mean VAS was 6.9 ± 2.5 SDV. Thirty-eight out of 39 patients (97%) reported abnormalities of at least one domain of the IIEF. The most commonly reported affected sexual function was overall satisfaction (97%), followed by sexual desire (87%), intercourse satisfaction (82%), erectile function (79%), and orgasmic function (77%). When correlation analysis applied between the scores of pain and disability levels (ie, scores of the sensory and affective dimension of pain experience, VAS, and RODQ) and those of sexual function (ie, scores of the 5 domains of IIEF), significant correlation exists only between RODQ scores and the scores of overall satisfaction domain of IIEF (P