Patient-Reported Outcomes for the Assessment of Sexual Health Among Patients Affected by Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

Abstract: Patients affected by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) frequently report impaired quality of sexual life and complain of sexual dysfunctions. Both disease-specific features and psy-chological factors can be held responsible for these conditions. However, sexuality and all matters relating to sexual health are often wrongfully considered unrelated to IBD and, therefore, over-looked during medical visits. To overcome these difficulties and to best assess patients’ percep-tions about their sexual health status, the use of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) could represent a valid strategy. In real-world studies, several non-IBD specific questionnaires, exploring differ-ent domains of sexuality, have been applied and validated for the IBD population. This review summarizes the available evidence on sexual health among IBD patients and the data supporting the application of PROs to screen the quality of sexual life, as well as the rate and types of sexual dysfunctions, among IBD patients.