Evaluation of Depression, Anxiety, Body Perception and Sexual Functions in Patients Diagnosed With Acromegaly

Acromegaly is a chronic disease that can cause somatic disfigurement and hormonal changes. The aim of this study was to examine depression and anxiety levels, body image and sexual dysfunctions in patients with acromegaly and to compare them with those of controls. 52 patients with acromegaly who were being followed up at the Endocrinology Outpatient Clinic and 51 non-acromegalic individuals were included. The participants were evaluated cross-sectionally once and evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Body Image Scale (BIS) and the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS). The GRISS total, infrequency, dissatisfaction, impotence and premature ejaculation subdimension scores of the acromegaly patients were found to be significantly higher than those of the controls. Sexual dysfunctions were associated with older age, female sex, unemployment, menopausal status, and the presence of concomitant diabetes mellitus. No meaningful differences were detected in depression or anxiety scores between patients and controls. Body image was significantly more impaired in patients with acromegaly and was associated with higher depression and anxiety scores. There was no difference between scale scores according to disease activity. Although inverse correlations were observed between GRISS total scores and IGF-1 and free T4 levels in univariate analyses, IGF-1 was not independently associated with sexual dysfunction after adjustment for relevant clinical covariates. In conclusion, considering that patients with acromegaly are a risky group in terms of mental disorders and sexual dysfunctions, we recommend that patients should be routinely questioned in terms of psychopathology and sexual functions during their follow-up.