A survey presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2024 found that 78% of cardiac patients wanted information about sexual health, while only 5% reported receiving it. The findings came from 135 respondents in Sweden, aged 30-89 years (mean age 65).
The data showed that 76% of respondents reported sexual health affected their mood and well-being. Among male participants, 65% indicated their cardiac condition impacted their sexual health, compared to 35% of female participants.
The survey identified a range of patient information priorities including 60% who wanted to discuss medication side effects, 50% who wanted to discuss erectile dysfunction, 47% who wanted to learn more about their condition's impact on relationships, 35% who wanted information on anxiety before sexual activity, and 13% of women who wanted information on pain during intercourse.
According to the survey, 79% of respondents preferred receiving sexual health information from healthcare professionals. Additionally, 43% indicated an interest in obtaining information from multiple sources at various times. Male respondents showed higher rates of wanting sexual health information than female respondents (87% vs. 64%).
The research, conducted via online survey in Sweden during spring 2024, included 21 questions. The respondent population reported a range of cardiac conditions including 47% who had hypertension, 36% with post-myocardial infarction, 30% with cardiac arrhythmias, and 24% reporting heart failure.
"That so many heart patients feel it actually affects their sexual health was surprising to us, even though it's been known for a while that this topic is not routinely discussed with heart patients," noted lead author Tiny Jaarsma, PhD.
Jennifer H. Mieres, MD, FAHA, professor of cardiology at Zucker School of Medicine, Cardiovascular Institute at Northwell Health, stated that feelings of shame and discomfort about sex served as obstacles to counseling heart patients.
The researchers reported several study parameters including its geographic limitation to Sweden, the online-only survey of self-reported medical conditions, and the fact that 59% of survey respondents were male.
The American Heart Association noted that patients with cardiovascular disease or post-stroke should consult healthcare professionals before resuming sexual activity.
Note: This research was presented as an abstract at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2024 and has not been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal.
