University of Michigan Scleroderma Program, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-5753, USA.
Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2009 May-Jun;27(3 Suppl 54):38-43.
Few studies exist on sexual activity and functioning in female patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc, scleroderma). We studied the patient-reported impact of SSc on sexual functioning among female patients.
101 SSc patients completed the Short Form-36 (SF-36), the Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI) and the Female Sexual Function in Scleroderma (FSFS) questionnaires.
Sixty patients reported being sexually active (59.4%). Reasons for sexual inactivity included lack of a partner (36.6%), personal choice (31.7%), and health status of the respondent's partner (19.5%). Only 7 subjects (17%) listed scleroderma as the primary reason for sexual inactivity. The mean FSFI score in the sexually active population was 24.9 (SD=6.7, range = 4.5-34.8) which is significantly lower than the mean score of 30.5 reported for the general population. Sexual functioning was significantly correlated with the Mental Component Score of the SF-36 (r=0.54, p<0.001) but surprisingly not with the Physical Component Score of the SF-36, age, and disease classification or duration. Several scleroderma-related problems including fatigue, body pain, vaginal dryness, and vaginal discomfort were cited as contributing to sexual difficulties.
Women with scleroderma do remain sexually active overall in spite of several disease-related physical and psychological difficulties. Many of their problems are amenable to health interventions and should be addressed during health care visits.
关于系统性硬化症（SSc，硬皮病）女性患者的性行为和功能的研究较少。我们研究了 SSc 对女性患者性功能的患者报告影响。
101 名 SSc 患者完成了简短形式-36（SF-36）、女性性功能指数（FSFI）和硬皮病女性性功能（FSFS）问卷。
60 名患者报告有性行为（59.4%）。无性行为的原因包括没有伴侣（36.6%）、个人选择（31.7%）和伴侣的健康状况（19.5%）。只有 7 名患者（17%）将硬皮病列为无性行为的主要原因。活跃人群的平均 FSFI 得分为 24.9（SD=6.7，范围为 4.5-34.8），明显低于一般人群的平均 30.5 分。性功能与 SF-36 的心理成分评分显著相关（r=0.54，p<0.001），但与 SF-36 的身体成分评分、年龄和疾病分类或持续时间无关。包括疲劳、身体疼痛、阴道干燥和阴道不适在内的几种硬皮病相关问题被认为是导致性功能障碍的原因。
尽管存在与疾病相关的身体和心理困难，但总体而言，患有硬皮病的女性仍然保持活跃的性行为。她们的许多问题都可以通过健康干预来解决，并且应该在就诊期间解决。
