This study assessed sexual functioning in 113 patients in Colombia with post-Chikungunya chronic disease over 3 years using the Massachusetts General Hospital Sexual Functioning Questionnaire. They compared scores between those with (62 patients) and without (41 patients) persistent rheumatological symptoms. Results showed impaired sexual functioning in those with ongoing symptoms, with 61% reporting very decreased libido compared to 37% without symptoms. This is the first study to use a validated questionnaire to screen for sexual dysfunction in chronic Chikungunya patients, highlighting the importance of such assessments. The findings have implications for areas affected by Chikungunya epidemics and those where it becomes endemic.

1. Massachusetts General Hospital-Sexual
Functioning Questionnaire Assessment in
patients with post-Chikungunya chronic
disease: comparative study of a 3-year follow-up
cohort in La Virginia, Risaralda, Colombia
Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales,1,* Sergio Andrés Ochoa-Orozco,1,2 Diana Marcela Sánchez-Castaño,1,2 Willian A. Bravo-Bolaños,1 German A. Castellanos-Silva,1
Natalia E. España-Quintero,1 Nicolás Hernández-Vanegas,1 William F. Muñoz-Ordoñez,1 Luis M. Quiceno-Rendón,1 Julio César Gutiérrez-Segura,1,2 José J.
Londoño,3 Héctor D. Bedoya-Rendón,3 Javier de Jesús Cárdenas-Pérez,3 Jaime A. Cardona-Ospina,1,3,4 Guillermo J. Lagos-Grisales.1,4
1Public Health and Infection Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia. 2Psychiatry Postgraduate, Faculty of
Health Sciences, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia. 3ESE Hospital San Pedro y San Pablo, La Virginia, Risaralda, Colombia. 4Grupo de
Investigación Biomedicina, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas, Pereira, Risaralda, 660004, Colombia. 5Emerging Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine
Research Group, Instituto para la Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas – Sci-Help, Pereira, Colombia. *arodriguezm@utp.edu.co

2. Long-term chikungunya (CHIK) consequences
and its chronic disease (pCHIK-CD) are not yet
understood and embrace an increasing
number of non-rheumatological effects,
including, sexual functioning.
Introduction
Rodríguez-Morales AJ, Simon F. Chronic chikungunya, still to be
fully understood. Int J Infect Dis. 2019 Sep;86:133-134.

3. pCHIK-CIR – (n=57)
pCHIK-CIR + (n=54)
N=111
La Virginia,
Risaralda
Rodriguez-Morales AJ,
Restrepo-Posada VM, Acevedo-
Escalante N, Rodriguez-Muñoz
ED, Marin-Valencia M,
Castrillón-Spitia JD, Londoño
JJ, Bedoya-Rendón HD,
Cárdenas-Pérez JJ, Lagos-
Grisales GJ. Impaired Quality of
Life After Chikungunya Virus
Infection: A 12-Months Follow-
Up Study of its Chronic
Inflammatory Rheumatism in La
Virginia, Risaralda, Colombia.
Rheumatol Int 2017 Oct;
37(10):1757–1758.
Introduction

4. 4

5. 5
Levin R.J. (2017) The Human Sexual Response Cycle. In: IsHak W. (eds) The Textbook of Clinical Sexual Medicine. Springer, Cham

6. Objective
To describe the sexual functioning of
patients with chronic CHIK disease using
the Massachusetts General Hospital-
Sexual Functioning Questionnaire in a
cohort under 3 years of follow-up.

7. • A cohort study of 113 cases serologically diagnosed
in La Virginia, Risaralda, Colombia, followed-up by
3-years.
• Demographic and clinical characteristics were
collected at baseline.
• Massachusetts General Hospital-Sexual Functioning
Questionnaire (MGH-SFQ) (adjusted per gender),
validated in Spanish and for Colombia (Cronbach
α=0.81-0.92) and sexuality item of Depression Zung
Self-Rating Scales (SDS), were applied to patients
with pCHIK-CD (+) and without (-).
• Score comparisons (Wilcoxon signed-rank test) and
prevalence proportion (χ2) significances were
calculated using Stata IC 14.0® licensed, p
significant <0.05.
Methods
Marchal-Bertrand, et al, (2016). Adaptation, validation and reliability of the Massachusetts General Hospital-Sexual
Functioning Questionnaire in a Colombian sample and factorial equivalence with the Spanish version. Revista
Latinoamericana de Psicología, 48(2), 88-97.

8. 8
Marchal-Bertrand, et al, (2016). Adaptation, validation and reliability of the Massachusetts General Hospital-Sexual Functioning
Questionnaire in a Colombian sample and factorial equivalence with the Spanish version. Revista Latinoamericana de

9. La Virginia
9
Methods

10. We compared 62 patients with persistent
rheumatological symptoms (pCHIK-CD+) and
41 without it (pCHIK-CD-).
Results

11. 11
• Mean age was 43.04 y-old, 68.1% female. At the SDS
sexuality item 61% of pCHIK-CD+ presented very
decreased libido (61%) compared to pCHIK- group (37%)
(p=0.049).
Results

12. 12
Results

13. Discussion
Nature Reviews Rheumatology volume13, pages485–493 (2017)

14. sini, Fabiano B., et al. "Impact of Immune System Activation and Vascular Impairment on Male and Female Sexual Dysfunction." Sexual medicine reviews (2019).

15. • Sexuality function is impaired among pCHIK-CD+
patients, compared to those that recovered during acute
phase of disease.
Conclusion
This is the first study in screen these aspects with
validated questionnaires, raising the relevance of
such assessments in patients with acute but also
chronic chikungunya consequences.
Findings have significant implications in areas
affected by chikungunya epidemics, as well later
endemic areas with chronic disease

16. 16