Review article: the psychosexual impact of inflammatory bowel disease in male patients.

BACKGROUND

Knowledge of the extent and the impact of sexual dysfunction and interpersonal relationships in men with inflammatory bowel disease is scarce.

AIMS

The aim of this review article was to summarise the current literature on sexual function in male patients with IBD and to provide a critical review of the IBD-related medical, surgical and psychological complications that can result in impaired quality of sexual health.

METHODS

To collect relevant articles, PubMed/Medline and Embase searches were performed using Boolean search phrases.

RESULTS

Reported rates of sexual dysfunction in male IBD patients range from 10% to 50%. Thirty-three to fifty per cent of patients report that sexual desire and satisfaction deteriorated after IBD diagnosis. Of those patients who were sexually inactive, half of these attributed lack of intercourse to underlying IBD. A striking finding reproduced in numerous studies is that disease activity relates strongly to impaired psychological function, and the most consistently reported risk factor for sexual problems in IBD patients is co-existing mood disorders. Hypogonadism is a complication of IBD and its therapies, the role of testosterone deficiency should be further explored as a potentially treatable and reversible factor in sexual dysfunction.

CONCLUSIONS

By understanding what factors contribute to poor sexual functioning in our patients, we can strive to minimise adverse psychosocial events. Further insight into this complex relationship requires an IBD-specific measure of sexual function in male patients. We recommend screening for and treating co-morbid depression, testosterone deficiency and striving for clinical remission to prevent psychosexual dysfunction in male patients with inflammatory bowel disease.