Sexual dysfunction in dialytic patients. A prospective cross-sectional observational study in two hemodialysis centers.

OBJECTIVES: Incidence and prevalence of patients in dialytic therapy increased considerably in recent years. The onset of new issues, once overshadowed, linked to a lower quality of life like sexual dysfunction became increasingly common. The first study in this area, dating back to the 1970s, shows the high prevalence of sexual dysfunction among patients in dialytic therapy of both sexes. Later studies proved an association of sexual dysfunction with psyche disorders, anxiety, depression and lack of self-confidence. The aim of this study is to describe the incidence of male and female sexual main dysfunctions, the latter not least in literature, in patients in hemodialytic therapy. With this aim two dialytic centers have been compared, one located in northern Italy and one in southern Italy, and the different prevalence has been compared to the general population. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cross-sectional observational study in patients undergoing dialytic therapy in two hemodialysis centers, one located in Palermo and one in Lecco. Male sexual dysfunction was investigated by the International Index of Erectile Function-15 (IIEF15) questionnaire and the Premature Ejaculation Diagnotic Tool (PEDT) questionnaire, and the female dysfunction by Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. Criteria for inclusion in our study were: age < 75 years and dialytic age > 3 months; exclusion criteria were: advanced cancer diseases, life expectancy < 6 months, previous urological manipulation, anti-androgenic therapy, sexual dysfunction unrelated to kidney disease, psychiatric disorders. Data were compared with mean-standard deviation (SD) and with the variance analysis (ANOVA). A value of p < 0.05 is considered significant. Discrete data were analyzed with contingency analysis. A chi2 < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Data of 78 patients have been collected. Mean age and dialytic time were 54 ± 12 years and 42 ± 35 month; 33 patients were from Palermo and 24 from Lecco; 21 patients were excluded. Age and dialytic age of the two subgroups did not demonstrate statistically significant differences. Between the two centers there was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.005) in the distribution of basic nephropathy: an higher incidence of diabetic and obstructive nephropathy has been observed in the southern center compared to northern center, while glomerulonephritis and polycystic kidney disease had an higher incidence in the northern center compared to southern one. The main sexual dysfunctions in both sexes, erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE) in men and orgasm disorder and pelvic pain in women, have been investigated. ED was present in 70%  of hemodialyzed patients, which is an higher incidence compared to the general population. The severity of ED between patients of the two groups was significantly different (chi2 < 0.001) with higher incidence of moderate/severe forms in northern Italy. The score, in addition to discrete data (severe, moderate, mild, absence), of ED was significantly different (p < 0.001) between patients of the two centers (22 ± 7 Palermo vs. 9 ± 8, Lecco). The PE was absent in 20 patients (54%), present in 12 patients (32%) and probable in 5 patients (14%) (scores of 7.6 ± 4.0 and 8.9 ± 6.8, respectively in Palermo and Lecco patients). For women, orgasmic dysfunction was severe in 10 patients (50%), mild in 4 patients (20%), very mild in 5 patients (25%), while it was normal in 1 patient (5%), with a statistically significant difference (p< 0.05) between Palermo and Lecco patients (3.0 ± 1.4 vs 1.2 ± 2.0). Sexual pain in women was severe in 11 patients (55%), moderate in 4 patients (20%) and mild in 5 patients (25%). Sexual pain was present in all patients (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of sex, sexual dysfunction is one of the most common side effect in patients with end stage renal disease in dialytic therapy. Our study confirms literature data. The growing number of the dialytic population with sexual disorders needs specialist support to improve quality of life of these patients.

Frequency and Identification of Risk Factors of Uveitis in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Long-term Follow-up Study in a Cohort of Italian Children.

BACKGROUND: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common rheumatic disease of childhood. The JIA-associated uveitis represents the most common extra-articular manifestation. OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this study was to evaluate frequency and risk factors of uveitis in a pediatric population affected by JIA. METHODS: One hundred eight Italian children with JIA were followed during a follow-up period of 13 years. Association between uveitis, antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), and subtype of arthritis has been estimated, and Kaplan-Meier curves were generated to assess the probability of ocular complications during the follow-up period. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients developed uveitis, after 96.5 ± 50.4 months from the enrollment. According to JIA subtypes, the oligoarthritis subtype was characterized by the highest prevalence (39%) of uveitis. The greatest risk of uveitis has been detected in oligoarthritis patients associated to ANA positivity (risk ratio, 8.6; 95% confidence interval, 2.27-32.9; χ = 20.4), whereas the worst evolution was revealed in patients with oligoarthritis and high levels of ANAs, with a progression time of 36 months (log-rank χ = 16.39; p < 0.0001; risk ratio, 18; 95% confidence interval, 7.3-44.2). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with early-onset ANA-positive oligoarticular JIA have the highest risk of developing uveitis. A routine ophthalmological follow-up is required at regular intervals, even though the joint disease is clinically quiescent.