Sexual Dysfunction Status in Iranian Cardiovascular Patients: A Systematic Review

Context: Sexual dysfunction is one of the challenges faced by heart patients. In Iran, because of the cultural structure, addressing sexual issues and problems is difficult in these patients and the follow-up of heart problems causes these patients' sexual relations to be marginalized. Considering the fact that there is no general conclusion about the prevalence and types of sexual dysfunction in these patients in the Iranian society, in order to gain comprehensive knowledge about this phenomenon, this study was conducted as a systematic review to investigate the sexual dysfunction status in Iranian heart patients. Evidence Acquisition: In this systematic review, articles published in Persian and English were retrieved from Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Medlib, Magiran, SID, Iranmedex, and Google Scholar databases using keywords without time limits. Then, the articles meeting the inclusion criteria were studied and analyzed. Out of the 1011 articles retrieved, 12 were reviewed and analyzed. To extract the data, two experienced researchers reviewed and analyzed the articles simultaneously, and the co-working professors of the research team evaluated the quality of the articles separately to increase the validity and reliability of the study. Results: All reviewed articles were quantitative studies. The results of extracting the findings indicated male sexual dysfunction, including erectile dysfunction, orgasmic function, sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction. In female patients, sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction were impaired. Conclusions: According to the results, heart diseases caused sexual dysfunction in heart patients. Patients with heart diseases had significant problems, such as lack of sexual desire, sexual dissatisfaction, and decreased frequency of sexual activity. Considering the severity of this disorder in the Iranian society, the treatment team is recommended to pay serious attention to sexual relations in these patients and consider the improvement of their sexual function as an integral part of the cardiac rehabilitation function.