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Heřmánková B, Špiritović M, Oreská S, Štorkánová H, Mann H, Pavelka K, Šenolt L, Vencovský J, Bečvář R, Tomčík M. Effect of an 8-Week Tailored Physiotherapy Program on Sexual Health in Women with Scleroderma and Myositis: A Controlled Pilot Study. Rheumatol Ther 2023; 10:1089-1105. [PMID: 37221419 PMCID: PMC10326194 DOI: 10.1007/s40744-023-00559-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Systemic sclerosis (SSc) and idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are very rare rheumatic diseases burdened by a high prevalence of sexual dysfunctions. However, no specific treatment has been proposed to date. To our knowledge, this is the first (pilot) study aiming to investigate the effect of an 8-week tailored physiotherapy program on the sexual health of women with SSc and IIM. METHODS In total, 12 women with SSc and 4 women with IIM were enrolled in the study. Based on the patients' capability to participate in the program, they were divided into an intervention group (IG) (mean ± SD age 46.8 ± 8.6 years) and a control group (CG) (mean ± SD age 46.3 ± 8.5 years). IG underwent the 8-week program (1 h of supervised physiotherapy twice weekly), whereas CG received no physiotherapy. At weeks 0 and 8, all patients filled in questionnaires assessing sexual function (Female Sexual Function Index [FSFI], Brief Index of Sexual Functioning for Women [BISF-W]), sexual quality of life (Sexual Quality of Life-Female [SQoL-F]), functional ability (Health Assessment Questionnaire [HAQ]), quality of life (Medical Outcomes Short Form-36 [SF-36]), and depression (Beck's Depression Inventory-II [BDI-II]). The changes were analyzed with two-way ANOVA and Friedmann's test. RESULTS Compared to the statistically significant deterioration in CG over weeks 0-8, we found statistically significant improvements in the total scores of FSFI and BISF-W, and some of their domains, functional status, and the physical component of quality of life. CONCLUSION Our 8-week physiotherapy program not only prevented the natural course of progressive deterioration of functional ability but also led to a significant improvement in sexual function and quality of life in women with SSc and IIM. However, due to the lack of randomization and a relatively small sample size resulting from the strict inclusion criteria, further validation of our results is needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ISRCTN91200867 (prospectively registered).
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbora Heřmánková
- Institute of Rheumatology, Na Slupi 4, Prague 2, 128 50, Czech Republic
- Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Maja Špiritović
- Institute of Rheumatology, Na Slupi 4, Prague 2, 128 50, Czech Republic
- Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Sabína Oreská
- Institute of Rheumatology, Na Slupi 4, Prague 2, 128 50, Czech Republic
- Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Hana Štorkánová
- Institute of Rheumatology, Na Slupi 4, Prague 2, 128 50, Czech Republic
- Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Heřman Mann
- Institute of Rheumatology, Na Slupi 4, Prague 2, 128 50, Czech Republic
- Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Karel Pavelka
- Institute of Rheumatology, Na Slupi 4, Prague 2, 128 50, Czech Republic
- Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ladislav Šenolt
- Institute of Rheumatology, Na Slupi 4, Prague 2, 128 50, Czech Republic
- Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Vencovský
- Institute of Rheumatology, Na Slupi 4, Prague 2, 128 50, Czech Republic
- Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Bečvář
- Institute of Rheumatology, Na Slupi 4, Prague 2, 128 50, Czech Republic
- Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Tomčík
- Institute of Rheumatology, Na Slupi 4, Prague 2, 128 50, Czech Republic.
- Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
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