Pos1472-HPR Impact of the Activity of Rheumatoid Arthritis on Patients´ Sexuality

Background: Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) may present from 31% to 76% of sexual problems [1]. Both physical and psychological limitations can affect the sexual sphere, affecting their quality of life [1,2]. The main problems expressed by patients with RA are sexual disability and decreased sexual desire [1]. Objectives: Describe the impact of RA on patients' sexual health related to disease activity and other clinical parameters and identify differences between genders. Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional, observational and multicenter study of patients with RA who were included in the nursing follow up consultations between January and October 2023 from 6 Spanish centers. Demographic and clinical variables were collected. To evaluate sexual dysfunction, the Qualisex questionnaire was used and it was correlated with mood state (HADs), EuroQol-5D quality of life (EQ-5D) and pain (VAS). SPSS 18 statistical analysis was used. Results: Sexual health was evaluated in N=546. The baseline characteristics showed that 79% were women and average age 53yo (SD 10.46), 60% of the patients are activily working, 62% are receiving biological treatment, (of which 40% had received more than two treatments). In addition, 69% had associated DMARDs and 46% glucocorticoids. The most frequent comorbidities were Sjögren's syndrome, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, obesity, and respiratory problems. The mean global Qualisex score was 3.48 (DS2.92). The mean score on the HADs questionnaire was 7.85 (SD 4.46) for anxiety and 5.49 (SD 4.31) for depression. The mean quality of life EuroQol-EQ-5D-VAS was 62.9 (DS22.62) and VAS-pain 4.46 (DS2.50). The variables with the greatest negative impact on women's sexual health were: VAS pain, fatigue, general condition, HAQ and HAD scales in anxiety and depression. There were no statistically significant differences between men and women for the variables of age, VAS general status of the patient, in the activity of the disease, nor the general status applying the EQ-5D scale. The higher score on the EQ-5D scale was related to better sexual health of the patients (Table 1). Finally, statistically significant differences were found between men and women in the Qualisex questionnaire, being higher in women in all sections. Among the additional items that presented differences, it was again higher in women (Table 2). Conclusion: RA has a negative impact on the sexual health of these patients. Pain, fatigue and general condition, as well as worse functional capacity and quality of life are factors that negatively influence sexual function. Women have a greater negative impact compared to men, presenting a decrease in libido and frequency of sexual relations. Our data suggest the need to implement health education and follow-up measures for sexual health aimed at improving sexual dysfunction in RA patients. Table 1. Domains of sexual dysfunction according to Qualisex BMI: Body mass index. VAS: visual analogue scale. Qualisex: Impact of RA on sexuality. HAQ: Health Assessment Questionnaire. EQ-5D: European Quality Of Life. HADS: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. DAS28: Disease Activity Score on 28 joint counts Table 2. Qualisex variables. REFERENCES: [1] Tristano AG. The impact of rheumatic diseases on sexual function. Rheumatol Int. 2009;29:853-60. [2] Laila Twisttmann Bay, Christian Graugaard, Dorthe S. Nielsen, Sören Möller, Torkell Ellingsen, Annamaria Giraldi, Sexual Health and Dysfunction in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cross-sectional Single-Center Study, Sexual Medicine, Volume 8, Issue 4, December 2020, Pages 615–630, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esxm.2020.07.004. Acknowledgements: NIL. Disclosure of Interests: None declared.