Sexual dysfunction common - PIs to blame?
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Preliminary reports out last month suggest that men being
treated with the protease inhibitor ritonavir may have an increased incidence
of sexual dysfunction.
In one piece of research, involving 254 HIV positive men over a five-year
period, a total of 80 cases of sexual dysfunction were observed. Dysfunction
had a particularly strong association with the protease inhibitor ritonavir.
There was no association with the nucleoside or non-nucleoside classes
of drugs.
However, another study from France, published in June, found that PIs
were no more likely to cause the problem than other classes of anti-HIV
drugs. It found that over 70 per cent of gay or bisexual men being treated
with HAART have experienced some form of sexual dysfunction.
HIV drugs 'turn men off sex!'
In this study, 156 gay and bisexual men completed a questionnaire
about erectile function, orgasms, sexual desire and intercourse satisfaction.
The men were divided into three groups according to their treatment history:
those receiving a PI-based combination for over a month, those who had
never taken a PI, and those who had taken PIs in the past but had stopped.
Overall, 111 men reported some kind of sexual dysfunction, with no difference
according to whether the HAART regime contained a PI.
The study found that over two-thirds of the men found the sexual dysfunction
very difficult to accept.
The researchers commented: "Given the increased life expectancy of
HIV-infected patients since the advent of HAART, their sexuality should
no longer be considered only in terms of the prevention of transmission.
"Sexual dysfunction in these patients should be specifically diagnosed
and treated as in patients with other chronic diseases," they added.
