Comparison of Male and Female Sexual Dysfunction between Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Maintenance dialysis is the most common treatment for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. One of the most ignored but important health issue among dialysis patients is sexual dysfunction, which interferes with quality of life (QoL). Studies showed that the side effects of the two conventional methods of dialysis (hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD)) are different on a patient's health. Therefore, we sought to compare the sexual dysfunction score, both male and female, between patients undergoing HD and PD. METHODS: One hundred seventy adults (85 HD and 85 PD) subject with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on dialysis for at least 2 months were included. For male subjects, the erectile function (EF) domain of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire was calculated. Moreover, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire was calculated for females. Data were analyzed via SPSS software. Two independent sample t-test with two-sided significance level of 5% was used for comparing the sexual dysfunction score between HD and PD patients. RESULTS: Out of 170 patients with mean age of 49.34 ± 11.7 years, 52.9% were female. Better sexual function scores were obtained in the HD group's females for desire, orgasm, and satisfaction domains, as well as the total score (P = 0.03, 0.016, 0.02, and 0.039, respectively). The erectile function was significantly better in the PD group's males (P). CONCLUSION: We found better sexual life in the HD group's females and PD group's males. Considering dialysis as a life-long treatment of CKD patients, this part of a patient's life must be taken seriously by the healthcare providers to choose the most suitable method for patients based on their personalized conditions.