Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) save thousands of lives every year. But could the devices also be killing the sex drive of its youngest recipients?
A new
study shows that young adults with congenital heart disease and ICDs experience a high-level of shock-related anxiety.
That anxiety, according to the study published in the June issue of
HeartRhythm, was also associated with poorer sexual function scores in both men and women – using the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The fears likely center on the possible ill-timed shock from an ICD during times of increased heart rate – such as in the bedroom.
Physicians shouldn’t skirt the issue of sexual dysfunction when talking to young patients with ICDs, said researchers, noting the psychosocial issues are often overlooked in younger ICD patients.
“Improving outcomes and the quality of life in these young adults is critical and our results clearly show the importance of addressing their psychological well-being,” said lead-author Stephen Cook, M.D., with the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, in a Heart Rhythm Society press release on the study.
Cook and his colleagues administered the Florida Shock Anxiety Scale (FSAS) and the respective men and women sexual function scales to 180 patients who had an average age of 32.
Early identification of shock-related anxiety could help physicians to suggest targeted interventions such as educational initiatives, treatment planning and psychological referral, said researchers.