Effect of deep brain stimulation on sexual dysfunction among patients who had Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Patients who have Parkinson's disease (PD) present several non-motor issues, such as sexual dysfunction. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a great treatment for PD and could affect both motor and non-motor symptoms of patients. Aim: The main goal of the current study is to evaluate the impact of DBS on the sexual dysfunction among patients with PD. Methods: Five databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) were searched for records. Studies that measured the effect of DBS sexual function were included. The risk of bias assessment tool of non-randomized studies of interventions (ROBINS-I) was used to assess the quality of the included studies. The before and after data extraction and statistical analysis were performed using the Comprehensive Meta-analysis software (CMA) version 3.0. Result: Ten studies were included in the systematic review; six of them were eligible to perform a meta-analysis with a total sample size of 532 participants and a mean age of 62.21 +/- 1.59 years. All participants performed STN-DBS. The sexual function of participants after STN-DBS implantation significantly increased (SMD = -0.124, 95% CI: -0.209 to -0.038, P-value = 0.005). It also did not have any publication bias. Additionally, their quality of life mounts significantly (SMD = -0.712, 95% CI: -1.002 to -0.422, p-value <0.001). Conclusion: Our systematic review highlights the potential effect of STN-DBS on reducing the sexual dysfunction of patients with PD and boosting their quality of life.