Sexual Dysfunction and Associated Factors in Women with Psoriasis

Context: Psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease, may negatively affect sexual function; however, data on the sexual health of female patients with psoriasis in Vietnam are lacking.

Aims: To assess the risk of sexual dysfunction (SD) and its associated factors in female patients with psoriasis who visited the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Dermato-Venereology from April 2020 to October 2020.

Settings and design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods and material: A total of 302 female patients with psoriasis aged 18 to 49 years were recruited. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used to assess the risk of SD (cut-off value at 26).

Results: The risk of SD accounted for 79.1% of the study population and was not associated with age, comorbidities, weight, or trigger factors. Urban dwellers had greater odds of SD risk than non-urban dwellers (OR = 2.63). Similar trends were observed in terms of higher education than grade 12, less than once a week of physical activities, and psychological stress as a trigger factor (OR = 1.89, 2.65, and 3.41, respectively). Female psoriasis patients with SD risk had a lower age of onset and higher weight, BMI, waist circumference, and PASI than patients who did not (P < 0.05). Psychological stress and high PASI were independent risk factors of SD risk in female patients with psoriasis (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: Factors with negative impacts on psoriasis may also increase the risk of SD in female patients; among these factors, psychological stress and high PASI were the strongest predictors of SD in female patients with psoriasis.