Sexual Function and Quality of Life in Young Men With Spina Bifida: Could It Be Neglected Aspects in Clinical Practice?

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the sexual function of young men with spina bifida and the impact of the disorder on the quality of life (QOL).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To assess sexual function and QOL by using self-administered questionnaires (International Index of Erectile Function [IIEF] and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey) for young men with spina bifida. We collected data from 47 young men with spina bifida between June 2013 and October 2013 at the spina bifida clinic of Severance Children's Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.

RESULTS

Of the 47 men who completed the IIEF, 24 (51.1%) had sexual intercourse at least once during the previous month, and the patients' sexual activity status had a significant association with their sexual function; however, the status of their sexual activity did not show any differentiation with their QOL scores. Concerning overall satisfaction in sexual activity, about 87% reported more than mild dysfunction; however, 67% and 50% had normal erectile function and orgasmic function, respectively. In 10 patients (41.7%) among them, the frequency of ejaculation problems ranged from "sometimes" to "most of the time" during sexual activity. The correlation between sexual function and QOL had a statistically significant association with the weak correlation (r = 0.496, P = .014).

CONCLUSION

Sexual function should be evaluated routinely in patients with spina bifida because such patients experience sexual dysfunction, although sexual function did not directly show a significant correlation with the QOL in this study.