Association between sexual dysfunction and symptom burden in women with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Müfide Arzu Özkarafakılı, Cemil Kutsal, Nihat Türkmen and Hatice Yılmaz

PLOS ONE, 2026, vol. 21, issue 9, 1-14

Abstract: Objectives: To investigate sexual dysfunction as a clinically relevant but under-recognized manifestation of disease burden in women with COPD and to identify its clinical and psychological determinants. Study design: In this cross-sectional study, 100 consecutive women with stable COPD (mean age 57 ± 7 years) attending an outpatient chest clinic were enrolled. Main outcome measures: Participants underwent pulmonary function testing and completed the COPD Assessment Test (CAT), Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Short Form-36 (SF-36), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Fatigue (FACIT-FS), and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Results: Sexual dysfunction (FSFI ≤26.55) was more prevalent in patients with greater disease burden, particularly those in GOLD stage E, and was associated with significantly higher fatigue and depressive symptoms. FSFI scores showed a positive correlation with FACIT-FS and quality-of-life domains, and a negative correlation with depression scores (all p

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0357921

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0357921

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