Study of Sexual Dysfunctions in Male Patients with Alcohol Dependence Syndrome

Abstract

Background: Virtually all aspects of the human sexual response are affected by alcohol. Chronic and persistent alcohol use has been seen to impair erectile, orgasmic and ejaculatory capacities, which leads to marked distress and interpersonal difficulty. Aims and Objectives: To study the prevalence and types of sexual dysfunction and to study the impact of the severity of alcohol dependence on sexual dysfunctions in male patients with alcohol dependence syndrome. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was done at the outpatient Department of Psychiatry of a tertiary teaching hospital. Socio-demographic details of the patient and alcohol-related clinical variables were collected using the study proforma. The severity of alcohol dependence was assessed using the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS). To assess the presence of sexual dysfunction, the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX) was used and the type of sexual dysfunction was decided by the Sexual Dysfunction Checklist (SDC) based on ICD 10, and the data was analysed. Results: 170 male patients with alcohol dependence, with a mean age of 35.84 years, participated in the study. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 67.06%. Loss or lack of sexual desire was the most common sexual dysfunction, followed by failure of genital response (erectile dysfunction), frequency dissatisfaction and premature ejaculation. The majority of the sample studied had one or more sexual dysfunctions. The ADS score positively correlated with the ASEX score, and this correlation was statistically significant. Conclusion: Alcohol use was found to be associated with sexual dysfunctions, and lack of sexual desire was the most common sexual dysfunction.