Urinary, bowel and sexual symptoms in a cohort of patients with Friedreich’s ataxia

Meher Lad, Michael H. Parkinson, Myriam Rai, Massimo Pandolfo, Petya Bogdanova-Mihaylova, Richard A. Walsh, Sinéad Murphy, Anton Emmanuel, Jalesh Panicker† and Paola Giunti; Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases 201712:158 doi:10.1186/s13023-017-0709-y

Pelvic symptoms are distressing symptoms experienced by patients with Friedreich’s Ataxia (FRDA). The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), bowel and sexual symptoms in FRDA.
A high proportion of FRDA have symptoms suggestive of LUTS, bowel and sexual dysfunction. This is more marked with greater disease duration and later disease onset. These symptoms need to be addressed by clinicians as they can have a detrimental effect on patients.