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Sexual quality of life is impaired in patients with chronic hepatitis C

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 28, pages 68–73 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients often have altered quality of life. Few data are available about sexual impairment (SI) in CHC. From 2011 to 2013, we included consecutive CHC outpatients. Exclusion criteria were: antiviral therapy, co-infection, age <18 or >75, transplantation, alcohol consumption, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group >1. Non-CHC subjects were healthy blood donors. Sexual questionnaires for men and women were adapted from the International Index of Erectile Function and Female Sexual Function Index, respectively, and concerned the past 30 days. Two hundred eighty-one patients were compared with 1086 blood donors. SI was more frequent in CHC patients. Men with CHC had worse desire, confidence, erections, climax and satisfaction (P<0.001). Women with CHC had worse desire, arousal, climax, satisfaction, lubrication and comfort (P<0.001). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with SI in men were CHC (odds ratio (OR)=4.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.46–8.06), age (OR=1.06, 95% CI 1.03–1.09), no intercourse (OR=8.74, 95% CI 4.65–16.04) and unemployment (OR=2.14, 95% CI 1.16–3.95). Factors associated with a worse global sexual life in women were CHC (OR=7.96, 95% CI 4.07–15.58) and no intercourse (OR=21.39, 95% CI 11.03–41.48). The study results were corroborated by propensity score-matching analysis. Sexual life is impaired in men and women with CHC. In clinical practice, sexual quality of life should be evaluated and treated.

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Acknowledgements

We thanks all the patients and blood donors who agreed to fill the questionnaire and to have their data analyzed, the whole team of the Etablissement Français du Sang of Bordeaux, France, and Janssen-Cilag Company, who funded this study.

Author contributions

Julien Vergniol: study concept and design, acquisition and management of data, statistical analysis and interpretation of results, drafting of the manuscript, statistical analysis. Sophie Duc: statistical analysis. Geneviève Hou: healthy blood donors recruitment and technical support. Jean-Baptiste Hiriart: acquisition of data and technical support. Juliette Foucher: acquisition of data and technical support. Florence Chenus: healthy blood donors recruitment and technical support. Carole Fabères: acquisition of data and technical support. Faiza Chermak: acquisition of data and technical support. Aude Lafournière: acquisition of data and technical support. Noui Souakri: acquisition of data and technical support. Victor de Lédinghen: study concept and design, statistical analysis, and study supervision.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre Expert Hépatites Virales Aquitaine, Service d'Hépato-Gastroentérologie, Hôpital Haut-Lévêque, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux, Pessac, France

    J Vergniol, S Duc, J B Hiriart, J Foucher, C Fabères, F Chermak, A Lafournière, N Souakri & V de Lédinghen

  2. Etablissement Français du Sang, Bordeaux, France

    G Hou & F Chenus

  3. INSERM U1053, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France

    V de Lédinghen

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  1. J Vergniol
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  2. S Duc
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  9. A Lafournière
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Correspondence to V de Lédinghen.

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Competing interests

Victor de Lédinghen is a member of the Advisory board of BMS, MSD, Gilead, Janssen and Abbvie. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Vergniol, J., Duc, S., Hou, G. et al. Sexual quality of life is impaired in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Int J Impot Res 28, 68–73 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijir.2016.5

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