A team from the Institute of Myology conducted a literature review to assess the current state of knowledge regarding sexual dysfunction in neuromuscular diseases. The analysis covered 27 studies conducted between 1983 and 2024, involving 2,428 patients.
- Sexual dysfunction is common and varied in neuromuscular diseases, with multifactorial mechanisms (endocrine, neuromuscular, psychological or related to the autonomic nervous system).
- In men, these are generally erectile dysfunction, and in women, the limited data suggest impairments in desire, lubrication, orgasm and sexual satisfaction.
- In Steinert’s disease (type 1 myotonic dystrophy), erectile dysfunction is often associated with primary hypogonadism, though this is not the sole mechanism. In some affected women, conditions such as genital prolapse may occur, leading to pain during and around sexual intercourse.
- In Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), the findings are varied and sometimes counterintuitive, with no clear correlation between the severity of the disease and sexual dysfunction.
- In amyloid neuropathies, sexual dysfunction is frequently linked to damage to the autonomic nervous system.
- In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sexual dysfunction is mainly secondary to disability and psychosocial factors.
- In autoimmune myasthenia gravis, sexual dysfunction is strongly associated with psychiatric comorbidities, such as anxiety and depression, regardless of motor severity.
- In Duchenne muscular dystrophy, sexuality is rarely addressed in clinical practice, despite the needs expressed by patients.
