ABSTRACT
This observational, quantitative and cross-sectional study aimed to assess the sexual function and compare the quality of life and functional independence among individuals, affected by cerebrovascular accident (CVA), sexually active and inactive. Individuals were previously contacted by telephone and scheduled at their convenience. We applied an assessment form containing demographic data, life habits, self-reported health and sexual function, in addition to the WHOQOL questionnaire for the evaluation of quality of life and scale of measure of functional independence. When assessing 29 individuals, we found that 48.3% were sexually active. Among them, 64.3 individuals were male and 35.7 were female. Most of the sample reported decreased sexual activity after the stroke (64.3%), 60% of women have sexual dysfunction through female sexual quotient, and 77.7% of men have erectile dysfunction, evaluated by the International Index of Erectile Function. We observed that sexually active individuals had better quality of life on the physical domain (p=0.035), greater functional (p=0.005) and cognitive (p=0.006) motor independence when compared with individuals who were not sexually active. We concluded that a significant portion of patients remain sexually active and that sexual activity was associated with cognitive and motor independence.
Keywords
Sexuality; Quality of Life; Stroke