Shmidt E^1,2, Suárez-Fariñas M³, Mallette M⁴, Moniz H⁴, Bright R⁴, Shah SA⁵, Merrick M⁶, Shapiro J⁷, Xu F⁸, Saha S⁹, Sands BE². Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2019 Mar 11. pii: izy401. doi: 10.1093/ibd/izy401. [Epub ahead of print]

Author information

1 University of Minnesota, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

2 Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.

3 Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Department of Genetics and Genomics Science, Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.

4 Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

5 The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

6 Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, New York, New York, USA.

7 Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Nutrition, and Liver Diseases, Hasbro Children's Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

8 Division of Population Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

9 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cross-sectional studies on sexual function in men with inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) yield mixed results. Using a prospective incidence cohort, we aimed to describe sexual function at baseline and over time and to identify factors associated with impaired sexual function in men with IBD.

METHODS: Men 18 years and older enrolled between April 2008 and January 2013 in the Ocean State Crohn's and Colitis Area Registry (OSCCAR) with a minimum of 2 years of follow-up were eligible for study. Male sexual function was assessed using the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), a self-administered questionnaire that assesses 5 dimensions of sexual function over the most recent 4 weeks. To assess changes in the IIEF per various demographic and clinical factors, linear mixed effects models were used.

RESULTS: Sixty-nine of 82 eligible men (84%) completed the questionnaire (41 Crohn's disease, 28 ulcerative colitis). The mean age (SD) of the cohort at diagnosis was 43.4 (19.2) years. At baseline, 39% of men had global sexual dysfunction, and 94% had erectile dysfunction. Independent factors associated with erectile dysfunction are older age and lower physical and mental component summary scores on the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36).

CONCLUSION: In an incident cohort of IBD patients, most men had erectile dysfunction. Physicians should be aware of the high prevalence of erectile dysfunction and its associated risk factors among men with newly diagnosed IBD to direct multidisciplinary treatment planning.