Alcoholism in patients with Sexual disorders

abstract

The authors screened for alcoholism 145 consecutive patients who presented with sexual dysfunction or disorders. Using the Michigan Alcoholic Screening Test (MAST), 29% of the patients scored in the probable alcoholic range. Probable alcoholics were more likely to present without a partner and claimed higher sex drive than nonalcoholic patients. Probable alcoholic males reported less joy and vigor than probable alcoholic females, while the reverse held for the nonalcoholic groups. Blind to the MAST results, the staff made six alcohol-related diagnoses and referred one patient for alcohol treatment. The authors discussed the importance of training faculty and resident staff in the relationship of alcohol abuse associated with psychosexual dysfunctions.

Twenty-nine percent of the patients who presented with a sexual problem were found to score in the probable alcoholic range on the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test. There were some demographic and symptomatic differences between the groups. Only 11% of those 42 patients were given an alcohol-related diagnosis. Although the relationships between alcohol abuse and sexual dysfunctions are not fully understood, these findings clearly indicate the need for investigating the use of alcohol by patients who identify themselves as being sexually dysfunctional. Should these findings be replicated, the implications for training staff, residents and medical students to be alert to the presence of alcohol abuse in this patient population are obvious. Similarly, the treatment of patients with combinations of alcohol abuse and sexual dysfunction needs to be reconsidered.