The effect of frequency of sexual intercourse on coronary artery disease

Abstract

Background: Doubts about the safety of sexual activity are common among cardiac patients and physicians alike, and are often neglected during routine checkups or on discharge from the hospital following a cardiac event or invasive procedure. Although it varies from society to society, it is considered taboo by most patients, so it is reluctant to ask the doctor about sexual activity. Doctors, on the other hand, remain silent due to the lack of clear information about the effect of sexual activity on coronary artery diseases or the presence of doubts. It is ultimately set aside by professionals and their patients. The patient does not ask and the doctor does not answer. This study, it was aimed to investigate the effect of the frequency of sexual intercourse on coronary artery disease. Methods: After applying the exclusion criteria, the remaining 180 patients were included in the study. A self-administered survey was applied to the patients before coronary angiography and patients were assessed according to the presence of additional diseases, their demographic characteristics, and the frequency of sexual intercourse. Two experienced physicians evaluated the angiographic results. Firstly Patients were grouped as 90 patients with normal coronary anatomy and 90 patients with coronary artery disease. After this, Coronary artery disease severity was evaluated according to syntax score. Results: The mean age of the patients was 58 ± 12.5 years. The distribution of age is not reasonable. According to gender, the female/male ratio the proportion of men was higher in patients with coronary artery disease. İncidence of normal coronary anatomy increased as the frequency of sexual intercourse increased. P - value was 0.037 and the result was statistically significant. The frequency of sexual intercourse was found to be 4.2/per month. The relationship between the Syntax score and frequency of sexual intercourse was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Conclusion: As a result of the study, it was seen that patients with more frequent sexual intercourse had more normal coronary artery anatomy, and those with coronary artery disease had single coronary artery disease than multiple vascular disorders. it was concluded that the incidence of coronary artery disease and coronary artery disease severity decreased as the frequency of sexual intercourse increased. Sexual intercourse might be a preventive factor in the development of coronary artery disease.