Coronavirus effect: Impact of COVID on sexual health is not talked about enough

While we are yet to fully understand the COVID catastrophe in terms of its passive effect on other body organs, a recent study has shed light on an issue that has been least bothered for.

Sexual health is of prime importance to the mankind and all these years while we were masking our face, and sanitising our hands to keep the virus at bay, little did we care to find out if our sexual health has been affected during this pandemic.

COVID vs. sexual health: What does the research study say?

The 2022 study published in International Journal of Impotence Research says that endothelial dysfunction, effect of COVID pandemic on the sexual life and sexual satisfaction of people are the main reasons for reduced sexual health during this period.

The study reveals that post-infection, there is a loss of physiological functions in the endothelial cells, which line the blood vessels and this leads to circulatory disorder in multiple organs.

The study says: Normal erectile function is a result of complex mechanisms including neural, vascular, and hormonal signaling. Impairment of psychological, neurological, hormonal, vascular, and cavernosal factors, individually, or in combination, can induce erectile dysfunction. Numerous pathophysiological pathways can exist together and have combined a negative impact on erectile function. The underlying reason for COVID-19-driven erectile dysfunction could be the associations established between endothelial dysfunction and SARS-CoV-2 corrupting the physiological pathways involved in the regulation of erection.

Why erectile dysfunction?

It is because of the affinity of the ACE2 receptors of the human testicular tissue for coronavirus. The virus infects the host cells by interacting with ACE2 receptors on the respiratory epithelium. This is why COVID is majorly considered to be a respiratory disease.

However, these ACE2 receptors are also found in cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neuroendocrine, and genitourinary systems thus explaining the adverse effects of coronavirus on other human organ systems.

“A study also revealed that the testicular tissue has the highest concentration of ACE2 receptors compared to other human tissues, even higher than the lung tissue, which is the main target of the virus,” says the study citing another research finding.

What are the risk factors?

Inflammatory bowel disease, kidney disease, rheumatic disease, psoriasis, gouty arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis are the potential risk factors along with age, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, BMI/obesity/waist circumference, and metabolic syndrome.

“Moreover, inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β that occur in hyperinflammation of COVID-19 have been shown to be associated with clinical progression of sexual dysfunction,” it says.

What does the study warn us of?

The study warns us of the various underlying health complications due to erectile dysfunction.
Erectile dysfunction increases the risk of heart related diseases, cerebrovascular issues, coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease “with an incline towards a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality”, the study says.

What are the other reasons behind decreased sexual health during pandemic?

Restrictive measures, social distancing, isolation, continuous lockdown has definitely changed the lifestyle of human beings. A blow to the economy has put tremendous psychological stress on individuals. These factors have affected the overall health of an individual including the sexual activity.

“Individual’s concerns related to safe intimate/sexual interactions, forced separation of intimate partners, and escalation in marital conflicts and deterioration in communication are among the most relevant contributing factors to the experience of an individual’s sexual difficulties and sexual dissatisfaction during this period,” the study says.

Among other reasons for reduced sexual health are lack of privacy during lockdown, discrepancies in sexual expression, emergence of new realities like work from home, homeschooling, sudden unemployment.