NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In men with epilepsy, sexual function does not seem to be significantly related to testosterone levels, according to UK researchers.
"Although sexual dysfunction in men with epilepsy is said to be commoner than in men who do not have the condition, most studies in the area have been relatively small and not all have shown differences in sexual function," study chief Dr. Susan Duncan of Western General Hospital, Edinburgh told Reuters Health.
When there is sexual dysfunction, it is usually ascribed to the anti-epilepsy drugs lowering testosterone levels, she added.
Duncan and her colleagues compared sexual function in 60 men with epilepsy who were taking only one anti-epileptic drug and 60 healthy men.
The epileptic group reported lower levels of sexual desire and erectile function, and higher levels of anxiety, depression, and psychological distress, the team reports in the medical journal Neurology.
Anxiety and depression are common in epilepsy, Duncan noted, "and both can affect libido adversely." In fact, she and her colleagues found that "the more depressed or anxious the man was, the less likely...he was to be interested in sex."
There were no ties between sexual interest and testosterone levels, Duncan said. This was not surprising, she continued, "as the men in the study had normal testosterone levels."
"Sexual function in people with epilepsy is multifactorial," Duncan said, adding that the historical concentration on hormone levels to the exclusion of other potential causes of sexual dysfunction "may have denied some patients a holistic approach to their sexual dysfunction."
SOURCE: Neurology, April 15, 2008.
