Impact of a post-myocardial infarction sexuality education session on erectile dysfunction, anxiety and depression

Introduction

Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) experience a decline in their quality of life due to the onset of depression, anxiety, and erectile dysfunction (ED) following an acute event.

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a post-myocardial infarction (MI) sexuality education session on ED, anxiety, and depression.

Method

The study was a prospective randomized trial, involving stable coronary men in the Cardiology Department of Charles Nicolle Hospital. It included one 100 patients randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. During the initial interview, the patients’ erectile dysfunction (ED) was evaluated using the IIEF-5 score, and anxiety disorders were assessed using the DASS-21 score. The intervention group received an individual post-myocardial infarction (MI) sexuality education session. After three months, both groups were reassessed using the same scores.

Results

During the first interview there was no difference between the intervention group and the control group with high rates of ED (94% vs. 90%), depression (74% vs. 78%) and anxiety (96% vs. 90%). The intervention group exhibited significantly lower rates of ED (42% vs. 70%, p = 0.005), depression (32% vs. 62%, p = 0.003), and anxiety (50% vs. 76%, p = 0.007) compared to the control group during the second interview. There was a significant decrease in the rates of ED (42% vs. 94%, p < 0.001), depression (32% vs. 74%, p = 0.001), and anxiety (50% vs. 96%, p < 0.001) among patients in the intervention group during the second interview, compared to the first. In contrast, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of ED, depression, and anxiety between the first and second interviews for patients in the control group. Patients in the Intervention Group experienced a significant improvement in ED and anxiety (p < 0.001) and OR (95% CI) to 4,53 [1,95–10,51].

Conclusion

Therefore, it is imperative to incorporate sexuality education into therapeutic education and cardiac rehabilitation programs for post-MI coronary heart disease patients. This will undoubtedly have a positive impact on sexual function and anxiety disorders.