Sexual dysfunction in women with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorders: an online community-based study.

IF 2.1 Q3 RHEUMATOLOGY

Rheumatology Advances in Practice Pub Date : 2025-02-27 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.1093/rap/rkaf023

Emily Fuster, Omid Mirmosayyeb, Svetlana Blitshteyn

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Abstract

Objectives: Hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (h-EDS) are connective tissue disorders associated with joint hypermobility, pain, fatigue and autonomic dysfunction. We sought to assess sexual function in women with h-EDS/HSD.

Methods: In this cross-sectional community-based case-control study, women with h-EDS/HSD completed the following online questionnaires: Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), 31-item Composite Autonomic Symptom Score (COMPASS-31), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and an additional short form with questions pertaining to comorbidities and sexual activity. Scores were compared with those of healthy female controls.

Results: A total of 84 women with h-EDS/HSD [mean age 37.1 years (s.d. 8.4)] and 75 healthy women [mean age 29.79 years (s.d. 5.38)] completed the questionnaires. Of these, 75% were diagnosed with h-EDS, 25% with HSD and 58% had concurrent postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. A majority of women with h-EDS/HSD (52%) did not engage in any sexual activity, and only 25% reported having sexual intercourse with a partner in the past 6 months. The mean COMPASS-31 score was 51.5 (s.d. 13.8), mean BDI-II score was 24.6 (s.d. 11.4) and mean FSFI score was 15.3 (s.d. 7.9) in the patient group. Compared with healthy controls, women with h-EDS/HSD had decreased FSFI scores in the subdomains of desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm and sexual satisfaction. Neither BDI-II nor COMPASS-31 scores were predictive of the FSFI score.

Conclusion: Compared with healthy women, we found significant sexual dysfunction in women with h-EDS/HSD, which did not correlate with depressive or autonomic symptoms in this cohort. Given its health implications, sexual dysfunction represents a significant unmet need that calls for development of targeted diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in the care of women with h-EDS/HSD.

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患有多动ehers - danlos综合征和多动谱系障碍的女性性功能障碍：一项基于社区的在线研究。

目的：过度活动性频谱障碍（HSD）和过度活动性埃勒斯-丹洛斯综合征（h-EDS）是一种结缔组织疾病，与关节过度活动、疼痛、疲劳和自主神经功能障碍有关。我们试图评估患有 h-EDS/HSD 的女性的性功能：在这项基于社区的横断面病例对照研究中，患有 h-EDS/HSD 的女性填写了以下在线问卷：女性性功能指数 (FSFI)、31 项自律神经症状综合评分 (COMPASS-31)、贝克抑郁清单-II (BDI-II) 以及附加的简表，其中包含与合并症和性活动相关的问题。结果显示，共有 84 名患有甲状腺功能减退症的女性接受了该研究：共有 84 名患有 h-EDS/HSD 的女性（平均年龄 37.1 岁（标准差 8.4））和 75 名健康女性（平均年龄 29.79 岁（标准差 5.38））完成了问卷调查。其中 75% 被诊断为 h-EDS，25% 被诊断为 HSD，58% 同时患有体位性正位性心动过速综合征。大多数患有 h-EDS/HSD 的女性（52%）没有任何性活动，只有 25% 的女性表示在过去 6 个月中曾与伴侣发生过性关系。患者组的 COMPASS-31 平均得分为 51.5（标准差为 13.8），BDI-II 平均得分为 24.6（标准差为 11.4），FSFI 平均得分为 15.3（标准差为 7.9）。与健康对照组相比，患有 h-EDS/HSD 的女性在欲望、唤起、润滑、性高潮和性满足等子领域的 FSFI 分数均有所下降。BDI-II和COMPASS-31得分均不能预测FSFI得分：结论：与健康女性相比，我们发现患有 h-EDS/HSD 的女性存在严重的性功能障碍，但这与该群体中的抑郁症状或自律神经症状无关。鉴于其对健康的影响，性功能障碍是一项尚未得到满足的重大需求，因此需要开发有针对性的诊断和治疗方法来护理患有 h-EDS/HSD 的女性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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