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The impact of Parkinson disease on patients’ sexuality and relationship

  • Neurology and Preclinical Neurological Studies - Original Article
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Abstract

This study aimed at examining the impact of Parkinson disease (PD) on patients’ sexuality and relationship and to evaluate gender-specific differences. Using a standardized questionnaire on sexual functioning in chronic diseases (SFCE), the impact of PD diagnosis on 38 domains of sexuality before and since PD diagnosis was evaluated retrospectively in 53 consecutive patients in a relationship. Changes in self-assessed ratings on a four-point Likert scale were determined for all patients. In addition, gender-specific differences and the influence of age, depression (BDI-II), medication, disease severity and disease duration on domains of the SFCE were calculated. The importance of non-sexual relational aspects, such as talking about feelings or tenderness increased for both genders after PD diagnosis, especially in women. Sexual function, such as frequency of intercourse, sexual arousal, subjective abnormal sexual fantasies or sexual satisfaction deteriorated in both genders, especially in men. Some sexual aspects improved in women but worsened in men after PD diagnosis. This includes frequency of orgasm dysfunction, fear not to fulfill sexual expectations of the partner, avoidance of sexual acts, withdrawal from relationship, increase of thoughts about divorce, or increase of dissatisfaction with sexuality and relationship. With age, thoughts about divorce declined. With disease duration, frequency of tenderness with the partner increased. Depression unexpectedly correlated with higher frequency of intercourse. Dopaminergic dosage influenced stability of the relationship negatively. PD influences patients’ sexuality negatively, independently of age, disease duration or disease severity and men show greater sexual dysfunction and impairment of their sexual relationship than women.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. C. Oehlwein for letting us recruit patients for our study in his neurological doctor’s office specialized in Parkinson disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany

    C. Buhmann, U. Hidding, C. Gerloff & T. P. Jürgens

  2. Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Education and Human Movement Science, University Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    S. Dogac

  3. Department of Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany

    E. Vettorazzi

  4. Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Rostock, Gehlsheimer Strasse 20, 18147, Rostock, Germany

    T. P. Jürgens

Authors
  1. C. Buhmann
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  2. S. Dogac
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  3. E. Vettorazzi
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  4. U. Hidding
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  5. C. Gerloff
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  6. T. P. Jürgens
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. Buhmann.

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Conflict of interest

C Buhmann is supported by the Georg & Jürgen Rickertsen Stiftung Hamburg; he has received honoraria as speaker and scientific advisory board member from UCB and Zambon. C. Gerloff is supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG Ge 844/4-1, SFB 936/C1, TRR 169/A3), the EU (FP7-HEALTH-2011-278276), and the German Ministery of Science and Education (ESiMED No. 16M3201E); he has received honoraria as speaker and scientific advisory board member from Bayer Healthcare, Boehringer Ingelheim, Glaxo Smith Kline, Lundbeck, Pfizer, Sanofi Aventis, UCB, Merck Serono, EBS Technologies, and Silk Road Medical. T. Jürgens has served on advisory boards for Allergan and Autonomic Technologies, Inc. and received honoraria as speaker from Autonomic Technologies, Inc., Desitin, Hormosan, Pfizer, and Allergan. E. Vettorazzi, U. Hidding and S. Dogac report no disclosures.

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Buhmann, C., Dogac, S., Vettorazzi, E. et al. The impact of Parkinson disease on patients’ sexuality and relationship. J Neural Transm 124, 983–996 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-016-1649-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-016-1649-8

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