Background: Sexual disorders occurring in women and men with type 1 diabetes have not been sufficiently investigated and described until now. This study attempts to evaluate sexuality in women and men.
Methods: Altogether, the study comprised 115 patients with type 1 diabetes and 105 healthy people constituting the control group. All the studied persons underwent survey studies determining sexuality using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI-19) in women and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-15) in men, and the occurrence of depression using the Beck Depression Inventory. The acceptance of illness among patients with diabetes was examined using the Acceptance of Illness Scale questionnaire.
Results: In 35% of the examined women with diabetes, the study demonstrated sexual dysfunction as determined by total FSFI. The point values of all the investigated FSFI domains were significantly lower in women with diabetes than in healthy ones (p < 0.001). Erectile dysfunction occurred in 50% of the studied men with diabetes and in 23% of the control group of men (p = 0.0017).
Conclusions: Type 1 diabetes leads to sexual disorders which occur in 1/3 of women and in 1/2 of men. Sexual disorders in patients with diabetes more frequently occur in men, persons with coexisting complications of diabetes, and in those with a concentration of glycated hemoglobin higher than 6.5%.
Keywords: depression; illness acceptance; sexual disorders; type 1 diabetes.