Parkinson’s patients may want to pay more attention to their sex lives if they hope to stave off motor-related symptoms and depression, an Italian study suggests.
After diagnosis, males especially should focus on “achieving pleasure and satisfaction, reducing anxiety and concerns, increasing intimate couple communication and reducing relationship tension,” researchers reported this month in the European Journal of Neurology.
If that is accomplished, early-stage male patients may experience “milder” disease progression and a less dramatic loss of motor skills and other disease symptoms.
The PRIAMO study asked 355 diagnosed patients about their sex life and other habits over two years. Researchers found that those who remained active after their initial Parkinson’s diagnosis — and despite functional limitations — reported better quality of life.
The research team, led by Marina Picillo, an assistant professor at the University of Salerno’s Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, said the findings should encourage clinicians to talk with Parkinson’s patients about their sexual activity as part of an overall assessment of physical and social-emotional health.
“Psychosocial factors may hamper sexual communication between couples, and clinicians rarely proactively inquire about patients’ sexual issues,” the team reported. “Chronic diseases are associated with a profound change in sexual activity and sexual dysfunction is one of the commonest non-motor symptoms in PD. The goal of treatment of sexual function in PD should not be limited to maintaining full genital functions.”
But in bad news for women, the protective factor only appears to help men. Researchers are unsure why, except that women were underrepresented in the study. They also tend to experience different Parkinson’s symptoms.
Other research has shown that physical activity in general helps slow down the progression of Parkinson’s.
A study recently published in the journal Parkinsonism & Related Disorders recommended interventions that increase physical activity, as tolerated, because it has a mediating effect on the brain’s dopamine transporter availability and cognition.
Higher striatal dopamine transporter binding ratios were positively linked with scores on the Physical Activity Scale for Elderly, researchers reported. Physical activity was also linked with higher scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.
