Association Between Mental Health Disorders and Sexual Dysfunction in Patients Suffering from Rheumatic Diseases

Abstract

Mental distress and sexual dysfunction are extremely common in rheumatologic patients. Sexual dysfunction is significantly associated with anxiety and depression in both men and women and may be independently predicted by their presence in this group of patients. Physicians dealing with rheumatologic patients should be aware of these results and incorporate screening and treatment of the above comorbidities in the global assessment of their patients, in order to alleviate the disease-emerging mental and physical burden and improve their quality of life.