Objective: The aim: To systematize and bring the reader closer to knowledge about the occurrence of sexual disorders in people after heart transplantation based on available bibliography.
Patients and methods: Material and methods: A review of the literature on this topic from the last 30 years made with using the PubMed database, using a total of 17 articles.
Conclusion: Conclusions: The incidence of sexual dysfunction (SD) is higher in heart recipients than in the general population and erectile dysfunction is the most common. When the symptoms of dysfunction occur before the transplant - they do not improve, rather they get worse, which reduces the improvement in the quality of life of these patients compared to patients without sexual dysfunction. Improvement in quality of life is observed in patients with SD after heart transplantation, but not as pronounced as in subjects without sexual dysfunction. Some patients notice an increase in libido, with the genital response being insufficient or completely disappearing, which results in a decrease in the quality of relationships between partners and a deterioration in the quality of life. The cause of SD in heart recipients is unclear, but it is associated with the type of immunosuppression used, the level of sexual activity and the state of health of patients prior to transplantation. Nowadays patients after ortotrophic heart transplant live longer and their quality of life improves, but not in sexual terms. The articles concerned almost exclusively men, that is why the topic requires exploration in subsequent research.
Keywords: erectile dysfunction; heart transplantation; sexual disorders.