To assess the performance of the Brief Sexual Symptom Checklist for men (BSSC-M) questionnaire in General Practitioner's (GP) consults in Spain.
Multicenter, cross-sectional study conducted in Spain among men ≥50 years, visiting a GP for any reason, and being able to answer self-administered questionnaires. Patients receiving medicines for erectile dysfunction (ED) and those with poor functional status were excluded. Sexual satisfaction was assessed by the BSSC-M, ED by the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM), and quality of life (QoL) using a 5-point Likert scale.
In all, 770 men met all the selection criteria and 556 patients (72.2%) reported sexually related problems, ED being the most frequent (n = 427; 55.5%). The SHIM score decreased progressively with the number of causes of sexual dissatisfaction. Prevalence of ED (SHIM ≤21) was greater in patients who referred problems with erection in the BSSC-M questionnaire (76 vs. 14%; p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis for ED prediction revealed that sexual dissatisfaction, QoL (average or low/very low), and the presence of 3 or more comorbidities significantly influenced the chances of having ED.
Our results encourage the use of the BSSC-M for identifying suspicion of ED and other sexual problems in patients > 50 who visit their GP for a routine follow-up.
Urologia internationalis. 2018 May 16 [Epub ahead of print]
Javier Romero Otero, Borja García Gómez, José Medina Polo, Esther García Rojo, Eduardo García Cruz, Francois Peinado, Raquel Sopeña Sutil, Giorgio Bozzini, Alfredo Rodríguez Antolín
12 de Octubre University Hospital, Madrid, Spain., Clínic University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain., Quirón Ruber 39 Hospital, Madrid, Spain., IRCCS Policlinico san Donato, Milan, Italy.