Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41067872›Full record

ArticleThe European respiratory journal2026

The impact of pulmonary fibrosis on sex and sexual function: a multinational mixed methods study.

Na'ama Avitzur, Madelyn Knaub, Francesca Thornton-Wood, Simon R Johnson, Christopher J Ryerson, R Gísli Jenkins, Iain Stewart, Kerri A Johannson

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The European respiratory journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Na'ama AvitzurDepartment of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0501-3820
Madelyn KnaubWard of the 21st Century, Calgary Zone of Alberta Health Services, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Francesca Thornton-WoodMargaret Turner Warwick Centre for Fibrosing Lung Disease, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Simon R JohnsonCentre for Respiratory Research, Translational Medical Sciences, NIHR Biomedical Research Centre and Biodiscovery Institute, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9837-2763
Christopher J RyersonDepartment of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
R Gísli JenkinsMargaret Turner Warwick Centre for Fibrosing Lung Disease, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Iain StewartMargaret Turner Warwick Centre for Fibrosing Lung Disease, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1340-2688
Kerri A JohannsonDepartment of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada kerri.johannson@ahs.ca.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1205-5511

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSex is an important part of life for many adults, yet sexual function may be impacted by chronic respiratory diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis (PF). This multinational study sought to characterise the impact of PF on sex and sexual function, using mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology.

methodsWe analysed data from a patient registry, a clinical study, an online survey and patient interviews to accomplish our objective and develop a conceptual framework for describing the effects of PF on sex-related quality of life. These cohorts used three distinct questionnaires, University of California, San Diego Shortness of Breath Questionnaire (UCSD-SOBQ), Sheffield Profile for Assessment and Referral to Care (SPARC) questionnaire, and Changes in Sexual Function Questionnaire (CSFQ), to assess sexual dysfunction, respectively. Individual patient interviews were conducted and qualitatively evaluated using thematic analysis.

resultsDyspnoea with sexual activity affected 2054/2759 (74%) of registry patients, associated with male sex, lower forced vital capacity (FVC) % predicted, lower diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (

conclusionsIn this multinational study, patients with PF reported engaging in sex and sexual activities but were adversely impacted by the effect of PF on their sex life, with both physical and psychological limitations. Sexual dysfunction was common, driven by multiple disease domains. Sexual health appears to be an important component of comprehensive patient care.

Indexed as

Pulmonary FibrosisSexual BehaviorSexual Dysfunction, PhysiologicalAdultAgedDyspneaFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeRegistriesSurveys and QuestionnairesVital Capacity

Identifiers

PMID41067872
PMCPMC12780331

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.