Exploration of sexual dysfunction in patients with allergic rhinitis
Murat Sertan Şahin1, Hilmicem Kaya2, Tugce Uzar3
1Özel Medical Park Göztepe Hastanesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Hastalıkları Bölümü, İstanbul, Türkiye
2Özel Medipol Pendik Hastanesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Hastalıkları Kliniği, İstanbul, Türkiye
3Ümraniye Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Hastalıkları Kliniği, İstanbul, Türkiye
Keywords: Allergy, Arizona sexual experiences scale, rhinitis, sexual dysfunction.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the effects of allergic rhinitis on the sexual lives of patients who consulted a physician for allergic symptoms and were diagnosed with the disease and whether it caused sexual dysfunction.
METHODS: In this cross-sectional observational study, 75 patients (41 males, 34 females; mean age: 28.9 years; range, 19 to 47 years) diagnosed with allergic rhinitis underwent psychiatrist evaluation by a specialist psychiatrist between 01.01.2018 and 10.09.2020. The Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) was used to determine the extent to which the current condition affected patients’ quality of sex life.
RESULTS: It was determined that 44 of 75 patients in this study had sexual dysfunction in terms of ASEX. When the results were compared with national and international normative values, it was found that it was statistically significant for sexual dysfunction (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION: These results show that allergic rhinitis is not a disease with just physical features but a multisystemic disease that can cause psychosocial and sexual dysfunction, and the treatment should be managed accordingly.