Association of disability with urinary and sexual dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system and is one of the causes of progressive disability in young people who may be sexually active. This disability can be associated with sexual-urinary problems that affect all aspects of their lives. This study was performed with aim to evaluate the association between disability and urinary-sexual dysfunction in women with MS.
This descriptive-correlation study was performed on 78 women with MS referred to Neurology clinic of Ghaem Hospital in 2013. Data collection tools included individual characteristics form with the questions related to urinary problems, Krutzke disability scale, and female sexual function index (FSFI). Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 19) and descriptive and analytic statistics. P Patients had participated with mild (52.6%) and moderate (47.4%) disability. The highest and least frequency were satisfaction domain (43.6%) and sexual pain (10.3%), respectively. 30 patients (38.5%) had problems in more than three domains of sexual dysfunction. Regarding to the prevalence of urinary disorders, the highest and least frequency were urgency in urination (30%) and urinary incontinence (2.5%), respectively. Pearson’s correlation coefficient reported significant reverse relationship between disability level with sexual dysfunction (r=-0.61 P=0.001). Based on regression analysis, it was determined that disability level, high age, the years of diagnosing disease and the type of relapsing-remitting disease had the greatest effect on sexual dysfunction.
The incidence of urinary – sexual dysfunction in multiple sclerosis affects all aspects of life, so the evaluation of patients should focus more on these disorders and provide context for the implementation of rehabilitation programs for patients.