Sexual quality of life is impaired in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients often have altered quality of life. Few data are available about sexual impairment (SI) in CHC. From 2011 to 2013, we included consecutive CHC outpatients. Exclusion criteria were: antiviral therapy, co-infection, age <18 or >75, transplantation, alcohol consumption, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group >1. Non-CHC subjects were healthy blood donors. Sexual questionnaires for men and women were adapted from the International Index of Erectile Function and Female Sexual Function Index, respectively, and concerned the past 30 days. Two hundred eighty-one patients were compared with 1086 blood donors. SI was more frequent in CHC patients. Men with CHC had worse desire, confidence, erections, climax and satisfaction (P<0.001). Women with CHC had worse desire, arousal, climax, satisfaction, lubrication and comfort (P<0.001). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with SI in men were CHC (odds ratio (OR)=4.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.46–8.06), age (OR=1.06, 95% CI 1.03–1.09), no intercourse (OR=8.74, 95% CI 4.65–16.04) and unemployment (OR=2.14, 95% CI 1.16–3.95). Factors associated with a worse global sexual life in women were CHC (OR=7.96, 95% CI 4.07–15.58) and no intercourse (OR=21.39, 95% CI 11.03–41.48). The study results were corroborated by propensity score-matching analysis. Sexual life is impaired in men and women with CHC. In clinical practice, sexual quality of life should be evaluated and treated.