Sarcopenic obesity is not associated with sexual dysfunction in older adults: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background

This study aimed to investigate the frequency of sexual dysfunction (SD) and the association between SD and body composition abnormalities, such as sarcopenia, obesity, and sarcopenic obesity.

Methods

Older adults (≥65 years) were included. Sarcopenic obesity was diagnosed by using newly defined ESPEN-EASO diagram. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria. Obesity was defined using the fat percentile cut-offs suggested by ESPEN-EASO. SD was determined by Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX).

Results

Two-hundred and sixty-seven volunteers (64.4% female, mean age 73.63 ± 6.22 years) participated in this study. One-hundred seventy-eight individuals (66.7%) had SD. It was present in 83.1% and 36.8% of the females and males, respectively (p < 0.0001). There was no association between SD and sarcopenia alone (OR: 1.359, 95% CI: 0.650–2.838, p = 0.415) or obesity alone (OR: 0.986, 95% CI: 0.543–1.791, p = 0.963). Sarcopenic obesity was significantly associated with SD (OR: 9.116, 95% CI: 1.173–70.851, p = 0.035). However, this significance was lost after the model was adjusted for gender, marital status, and comorbidities (OR: 4.676, 95% CI: 0.578–37.801, p = 0.148).

Conclusions

SD was present in 66.7% of the older adults and was not associated with sarcopenia, obesity, or sarcopenic obesity. Further longitudinal studies are needed on this topic.

KEY POINTS

• The frequency of sexual experience in community-dwelling older adults was only 33.7% and 53.2% in the last 1 year and 5 years, respectively.

• One-hundred seventy-eight individuals (66.7%) had sexual dysfunction (SD).

• The female gender and being a widow/widower were found to increase the odds of SD.

• Sarcopenia, obesity, or sarcopenic obesity were not associated with a higher risk of SD.

Keywords:

• Aged
• sarcopenia
• sexual health
• obesity
• prevalence

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Kübra Yıldız Güler, RDN, and Gözde Balkaya Aykut, MD for their help during the data collection. We also thank our participants for their contributions to science.

Ethical approval

Istanbul Medeniyet University Göztepe Training and Research Hospital Clinical Trials Ethics Committee approved the study (date 15.08.2018 – number 2018/0316) and administered according to the Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects by the Helsinki Declaration.

Consent to participate

Both written and verbal consent were obtained from the participants before the study.

Consent for publication

It was obtained from the participant.

Impact statement

We certify that this work is novel since this is the first study to investigate the association between SD and sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in both genders.

Authors’ contributions

Conceptualization: ENK, FD, and BKG; Methodology: ENK, FD, and BKG; Formal analysis and investigation: ENK, FD, and BKG; Writing – original draft preparation: ENK and BKG; Writing – review and editing: FD and BKG.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

There are no linked data sets for this article. The data is confidential since the participant of this study were informed upon admission to the hospital that the data would remain confidential and would not be shared with third parties.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any funding from agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.