[Sexual life quality of spinal cord-injured men receiving pharmacological treatment for erectile dysfunction and their partners]

Abstract

Objective: To assess the quality of sexual life reported by spinal cord-injured men treated with oral drugs for erectile dysfunction (ED) and their female partners.

Material and method: Men with spinal cord injuries (SCI) complaining of ED and their female partners were evaluated using the Sexual Life Quality Questionnaire (SLQQ), a fully validated instrument in Spain. Two studies were conducted. A transversal study (1) on patients who were already on treatment with phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) and their partners, with 73 couples providing valid data. An additional prospective study (2) assessed SCI patients naive to PDE5Is in which both the patients and their spouses answered the SLQQ before treatment and after 3 months taking PDE5Is regularly, with 12 couples completing the study.

Results: The SLQQ scores of SC injured men on PDE5Is (study 1) were under the remembered pre-lesion level, with lower scores reported by those with complete lesions (P<.2 vs incomplete). Their partners' SLQQ scores were apparently similar to pre-injury times. The SLQQ scores of the patients and their partners were well correlated (r = 0.57, P<.0001), and they both reported high treatment satisfaction. Study 2: Untreated SCI patients reported very low SLQQ scores that were improved by PDE5Is treatment (P<.004), albeit without reaching the pre-injury level. A similar trend was found in their partners. Again both patients and partners reported high treatment satisfaction scores (P <.001).

Conclusion: The sexual life quality levels of SC injured men on PDE5Is and their able-bodied spouses are well correlated. Both partners report high treatment satisfaction scores.

Keywords: Calidad de vida sexual; Couples; Cuestionario SLQQ; Disfunción sexual; Inhibidores de fosfodiesterasa 5; Lesión medular; Parejas; Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors; SLQQ questionnaire; Sexual dysfunction; Sexual life quality; Spinal cord injury.