Objective: The objective of our study was to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as the confounding factors associated with sexual dysfunction in patients with Parkinson’s disease in the United Arab Emirates.

Background: Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common non-motor symptom in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) yet underreported and undertreated specifically in many ethnic PD groups because of religious, social and personal perceptions

Method: We conducted a single-centre cross-sectional study in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of SD in our PD cohort. We included 513 patients with PD and grouped them as Emirati (local) or non-Emirati (Expats) Data was collected using the NMS Scale (NMSS) domain 8 question on SD, Index of Erectile Function (IEF), and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Clinical demographic data was collected using the Hoehn and Yahr stage (HY), Unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (UPDRS-III),

Results: We enrolled 513 patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), comprising 207 Emiratis and 306 non-Emiratis, with a mean age of 60.13 ± 8.12 years and an average disease duration of 4.66 ± 2.07 years. The cohort consisted of 62% males and 38% females. The Emirati participants were significantly younger (p < 0.001) and had a higher proportion of females compared to the non-Emirati group (p < 0.001). Additionally, the non-Emirati patients exhibited higher NMSS-SD scores than their Emirati counterparts (p = 0.038). Sexual dysfunction (SD) was reported independently of nationality or race and was more prevalent with advanced disease (Hoehn and Yahr, p < 0.001). Moreover, SD was associated with a deteriorating quality of life (p < 0.001) and increased anxiety, particularly among younger PD patients (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Our study, EmPARK-SD, reveals that there are no significant differences in the prevalence of sexual dysfunction (SD) among various ethnic groups. However, in younger patients—both males and females—SD is linked to higher levels of anxiety and a decline in quality of life. This population may underreport their experiences with SD, making it crucial to address this culturally sensitive issue through bespoke counseling. while raising awareness of the issue is important in terms of holistic care delivery for PD in this population.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-first-cross-sectional-comparative-observational-study-of-sexual-dysfunction-in-emirati-and-non-emirati-parkinsons-disease-patients-empark-sd-in-the-united-arab-emirates/