{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T10:01:31Z","timestamp":1777370491325,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,5]],"date-time":"2022-01-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1641340800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003243","name":"Ministry of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["023728"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["023728"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003243","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100003243","name":"Ministry of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["NV18-01-00161A"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NV18-01-00161A"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100003243","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001823","name":"Ministry of Education Youth and Sports","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SVV 260523"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SVV 260523"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001823","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100007543","name":"Charles University Grant Agency","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["GAUK 1578119"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GAUK 1578119"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100007543","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Only a few studies have addressed sexual health in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). This study aimed to compare female sexual function and pelvic floor muscle function in SSc patients with healthy controls (HC) matched by age, and to identify the potential implications of clinical features on sexual function. Our cohort included 90 women with SSc and 90 HC aged 18\u201370 years that completed six well-established and validated questionnaires assessing sexual function (Brief Index of Sexual Function for Women, Female Sexual Function Index, Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire\u2013Female, Sexual Function Questionnaire) and pelvic floor function (Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire\u2013Short Form 7 and Pelvic Organ Prolapse\/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire Short Form). Results from women with SSc and HC were contrasted and correlated with relevant clinical features. The prevalence of female sexual dysfunction was 73% in SSc patients (vs. 31% in HC). Women with SSc reported significantly worse pelvic floor function and sexual function than HC. Impaired sexual function was correlated with higher disease activity, the presence of dyspnea and interstitial lung disease, increased systemic inflammation, reduced physical activity, functional disability, more severe depression, more pronounced fatigue, and impaired quality of life. We demonstrate that sexual dysfunction is highly prevalent among women with SSc. This aspect of the disease deserves more attention both in clinical care and at the level of international research collaboration.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19010612","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,6]],"date-time":"2022-01-06T03:41:32Z","timestamp":1641440492000},"page":"612","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Female Sexual Dysfunction and Pelvic Floor Muscle Function Associated with Systemic Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Barbora","family":"He\u0159m\u00e1nkov\u00e1","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Rheumatology, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic"},{"name":"Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University, 162 52 Prague, Czech Republic"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maja","family":"\u0160piritovi\u0107","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Rheumatology, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic"},{"name":"Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University, 162 52 Prague, Czech Republic"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hana","family":"\u0160mucrov\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Rheumatology, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sab\u00edna","family":"Oresk\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Rheumatology, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic"},{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 121 08 Prague, Czech Republic"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6416-8385","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hana","family":"\u0160tork\u00e1nov\u00e1","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Rheumatology, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic"},{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 121 08 Prague, Czech Republic"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4106-5217","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martin","family":"Komarc","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Methodology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University, 162 52 Prague, Czech Republic"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Karel","family":"Pavelka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Rheumatology, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic"},{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 121 08 Prague, Czech Republic"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ladislav","family":"\u0160enolt","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Rheumatology, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic"},{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 121 08 Prague, Czech Republic"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0851-0713","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ji\u0159\u00ed","family":"Vencovsk\u00fd","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Rheumatology, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic"},{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 121 08 Prague, Czech Republic"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Radim","family":"Be\u010dv\u00e1\u0159","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Rheumatology, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic"},{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 121 08 Prague, Czech Republic"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michal","family":"Tom\u010d\u00edk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Rheumatology, 128 00 Prague, Czech Republic"},{"name":"Department of Rheumatology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 121 08 Prague, Czech Republic"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1685","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(17)30933-9","article-title":"Systemic sclerosis","volume":"390","author":"Denton","year":"2017","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1111","DOI":"10.1016\/j.autrev.2015.07.016","article-title":"The clinical relevance of sexual dysfunction in systemic sclerosis","volume":"14","author":"Bruni","year":"2015","journal-title":"Autoimmun. 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