Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction Among Greek MS Patients

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can complicate the lifelong course of sexual development and the ways in which one defines and expresses one's sexuality. The aim of the present study was to register, examine and categorize sexual dysfunction (SD) among Greek patients with MS. 866 individuals, all Greek MS patients members of MS societies all over Greece completed the Greek version of MSISQ-15 along with demographic data. The sample of 866 participants was composed by 66.5% of women and 33.5% of men. SD was present in both sexes in high levels with women having higher scores in Primary SD and men having higher scores in the other two subscales. For the case of Primary SD there was a collective significant effect between Gender, Age and duration of MS, and prevalence of SD. The same stands for the case of Secondary SD. In the case of the Tertiary SD, Gender was the only significant predictor of prevalence of SD. Results of the regression model for the total Score of SD revealed a significant positive relation between Age and MS Duration with the prevalence of SD. Also, there was a strong negative effect on prevalence of SD moderated by Age and MS Duration. SD is present in Greek MS patients in high rates in both sexes with age, MS duration and gender being the main predictors. Awareness of SD in patients with MS is essential for successful evaluation and management. Clinicians working with MS should proactively ask their patients about their sexual life in order to provide suggestions and solutions about these issues or a referral to a sex specialist.