Comorbidity in patients with Dhat syndrome: a nationwide multicentric study.

Introduction: There are limited numbers of studies on Dhat syndrome. Major limitations of the existing literature are heterogeneous assessment methods used to describe the comorbidity and small sample size from isolated centers.

Aim: To assess comorbidity with a common methodology in patients with Dhat syndrome from multiple centers across India.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, this multicentric study involved assessment of 780 male patients, aged more than 16 years, across 15 study centers.

Main Outcome Measures: ICD-10 criteria (for evaluation of psychiatric morbidity and sexual dysfunction)

Results: About one-third (32.8%) of the cases had no comorbidity. One-fifth (20.5%) of the patients had comorbid depressive disorders and another one-fifth (20.5%) had comorbid neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders. Half (51.3%) of the study sample had comorbid sexual dysfunction. When various combinations of comorbidities were evaluated, it was seen that more than one-fourth (28.7%) of the patients had only comorbid sexual dysfunction and one-sixth (15.9%) had only comorbid depressive/anxiety disorders. A little more than one-fifth (22.6%) had comorbidity of both sexual dysfunction and depressive/anxiety disorders.

Conclusion: Comorbid sexual dysfunction is seen in half of the cases of Dhat syndrome, and it is more common than comorbid depressive and anxiety disorders.