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Therapy Insight: sexual dysfunction in patients with chronic kidney disease

Nature Clinical Practice Nephrology volume 3, pages 200–207 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Sexual dysfunction is common in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Sexual dysfunction in these patients should be thought of as a multifactorial problem that is affected by a variety of physiological and psychological factors, as well as by comorbid conditions. Assessment of sexual difficulties in patients with CKD, therefore, involves a careful investigation of a variety of domains. The development of treatment strategies presents challenges as it is often difficult to determine the primary factor(s) responsible for the sexual dysfunction. It is important to think of the treatment in the overall context of the management of various medical problems presented by patients with CKD. It must be remembered that the design of therapeutic approaches for each patient is dependent on the systematic evaluation of the functional and psychosocial problems presented, and assessment of the cause(s) of sexual dysfunction.

Key Points

  • Decreased libido, difficulty in becoming aroused and achieving orgasm, erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction, and lack of vaginal lubrication are common problems in patients with chronic kidney disease

  • A variety of comorbidites, and physiological and psychological factors, can contribute to sexual dysfunction in people with chronic kidney disease

  • The frequency of reported sexual dysfunction increases as renal function deteriorates

  • Assessment of sexual function should be a routine part of management of patients with chronic kidney disease, as there are methods available through which dysfunction can be ameliorated

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. FO Finkelstein is Clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale University and Chief of Nephrology at the Hospital of St Raphael, S Shirani is a Clinical Nephrologist at the Hospital of St Raphael and Yale New Haven Hospital, D Wuerth is the Social Worker for the Renal Research Institute, New Haven Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis unit, and SH Finkelstein is an Assistant Professor of Social Work in Psychiatry at Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,

    Fredric O Finkelstein, Shirin Shirani, Diane Wuerth & Susan H Finkelstein

Authors
  1. Fredric O Finkelstein
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  2. Shirin Shirani
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  3. Diane Wuerth
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  4. Susan H Finkelstein
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Correspondence to Fredric O Finkelstein.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Finkelstein, F., Shirani, S., Wuerth, D. et al. Therapy Insight: sexual dysfunction in patients with chronic kidney disease. Nat Rev Nephrol 3, 200–207 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpneph0438

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpneph0438

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