TY - JOUR
T1 - Quantitative spinal cord MRI and sexual dysfunction in multiple sclerosis
AU - Seyman, Estelle
AU - Kim, David
AU - Bharatha, Aditya
AU - Casserly, Courtney
AU - Krysko, Kristen
AU - Chantal, Roy Hewitson
AU - Alcaide-Leon, Paula
AU - Suthiphosuwan, Suradech
AU - Oh, Jiwon
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), 2022.
PY - 2022/10
Y1 - 2022/10
N2 - Background: Sexual dysfunction (SD) is frequently reported in multiple sclerosis (MS) and is likely related to MS-related damage to the spinal cord (SC). Objective: To assess associations between SD and quantitative MRI measures in people with MS (pwMS). Methods: This pilot study included 17 pwMS with SD who completed questionnaires assessing SD, mood, and fatigue. All participants underwent brain, cervical, and thoracic SC-MRI at 3T. Quantitative brain and SC-MRI measures, including brain/SC atrophy, SC lesion count, diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) indices (fractional anisotropy [FA], mean, perpendicular, parallel diffusivity [MD, λ⊥, λ||]) and magnetization-transfer ratio (MTR) were obtained. Associations between quantitative MRI measures and SD were assessed while controlling for the extent of mood and fatigue symptomatology. Results: Subjects were a mean age of 46.9 years and 29% female. All subjects had self-reported SD (MSISQ-19 = 40.7, SQoL: 55.9) and 65% had a concurrent psychiatric diagnosis. When correlations between SD severity were assessed with individual brain and SC-MRI measures while controlling for psychiatric symptomatology, no associations were found. The only variables showing independent associations with SD were anxiety (p = 0.03), depression (p = 0.05), and fatigue (p = 0.04). Conclusion: We found no correlations between quantitative MRI measures in the brain and SC and severity of SD in pwMS, but psychiatric symptomatology and fatigue severity demonstrated relationships with SD. The multifactorial nature of SD in pwMS mandates a multidisciplinary approach.
AB - Background: Sexual dysfunction (SD) is frequently reported in multiple sclerosis (MS) and is likely related to MS-related damage to the spinal cord (SC). Objective: To assess associations between SD and quantitative MRI measures in people with MS (pwMS). Methods: This pilot study included 17 pwMS with SD who completed questionnaires assessing SD, mood, and fatigue. All participants underwent brain, cervical, and thoracic SC-MRI at 3T. Quantitative brain and SC-MRI measures, including brain/SC atrophy, SC lesion count, diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) indices (fractional anisotropy [FA], mean, perpendicular, parallel diffusivity [MD, λ⊥, λ||]) and magnetization-transfer ratio (MTR) were obtained. Associations between quantitative MRI measures and SD were assessed while controlling for the extent of mood and fatigue symptomatology. Results: Subjects were a mean age of 46.9 years and 29% female. All subjects had self-reported SD (MSISQ-19 = 40.7, SQoL: 55.9) and 65% had a concurrent psychiatric diagnosis. When correlations between SD severity were assessed with individual brain and SC-MRI measures while controlling for psychiatric symptomatology, no associations were found. The only variables showing independent associations with SD were anxiety (p = 0.03), depression (p = 0.05), and fatigue (p = 0.04). Conclusion: We found no correlations between quantitative MRI measures in the brain and SC and severity of SD in pwMS, but psychiatric symptomatology and fatigue severity demonstrated relationships with SD. The multifactorial nature of SD in pwMS mandates a multidisciplinary approach.
KW - multiple sclerosis
KW - quality of life
KW - quantitative MRI
KW - sexual dysfunction
KW - spinal cord
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140340170&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/20552173221132170
DO - 10.1177/20552173221132170
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C2 - 36277232
AN - SCOPUS:85140340170
SN - 2055-2173
VL - 8
JO - Multiple Sclerosis Journal - Experimental, Translational and Clinical
JF - Multiple Sclerosis Journal - Experimental, Translational and Clinical
IS - 4
ER -