Troubles sexuels chez les patients atteints de sclérose en plaques : à propos d’une population tunisienne

Objective. - To study sexual dysfunctions (SD) among patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS).Materials and methods. - Prospective study concerning 49 patients with MS questioned about their sex life. In addition to an interview, we used 2 indexes to measure sexual function: IIEF15 for males and FSFI for females. Other information was collected concerning the duration of the MS, the level of disability and the repercussions on the couple's relationship and quality of life.Results. -The prevalence of SD was 46.9% with 70% for males and 34% for females. The most frequent problem for males was erectile dysfunction. Women experienced mainly a reduction in orgasm and a lowering of libido. The MS itself affected all the SF-36 items but no correlation was found between the SD and quality of life. Neither did we note significant repercussions on the couple's relationship. We did however observe a correlation between the frequency of SD and marriage. No correlation was found between the frequency of SD and the severity of the disability, age, level of education and duration of MS.Conclusion. -MS entails a multitude of disorders that patients struggle to deal with. However, they do not speak about SD. Our characteristic culture can certainly explain several differences observed between our work and the literature. (C) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.