Study: Many Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Experience Sexual Difficulties

Many rheumatoid arthritis patients claim that their disease has negatively affected their sex lives, according to a study reported in the February issue of the journal Rheumatology.

A team of British researchers distributed questionnaires to rheumatoid arthritis patients to find out whether their disease had affected their sexual relationships and sexual activity. Those surveyed were also asked to identify the causes of any sexual difficulties and the people they would turn to for help with their problems.

Fifty-six percent of the respondents said their arthritis placed limitations on sexual intercourse, citing fatigue and pain as the principal reasons, but only 39 percent would consider talking to someone if they had a problem. Nurses and doctors were the professionals most often chosen as the ones that patients would go to for help.

Thirty-five per cent of the respondents thought that their disease strained their relationship with their partner and cited curtailment of daily and social activities, changes in the balance of the relationship, emotional changes and changed financial circumstances.

The researchers concluded that rheumatoid arthritis impacts the sexual lives of a large number of patients, noting that this is a problem that patients and health professionals are reluctant to discuss face to face.

Lead researcher Dr. Jackie Hill, of the University of Leeds, told Medical Week that 37 (66 percent) of the patients had never been asked by any health professional about the impact of their disease on their sexual lives. Of the 19 (34 percent) who had, all but one had been asked by the same rheumatology nurse practitioner, she said.

Other sources: Rheumatology 2003; 42: 280-286