Male Infertility and Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Egyptian Patients: Is There

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is widespread in the world and highly prevalent in Egypt. Some reports suggest that HCV chronic infection could alter seminal parameters and reproductive hormones, so chronic HCV infection may influence the male fertility. Objective: we conducted this study to assess the possible effect of chronic HCV infection and its antiviral treatment on various seminal parameters.Design: Eighteen patients with HCV-related chronic hepatitis (Polymerase chain reaction based) and 10 healthy male volunteers were studied. Setting and Participants:The study was carried from January 2010 till June 2011. Eighteen infertile male patients with a history of chronic HCV infection attended to outpatient's clinic (OPD) of urology department at 6 October university hospital, aged from 28 to 35 years. Ten normal subjects with no history of liver affection, enrolled in the study as volunteers. All patients with other causes of infertility as varicocele or history of cryptorchidism were excluded. Also, all patients with history of previous treatment for HCV or other causes of liver disease (HBV, alcohol, autoimmunity or hemochromatosis) were excluded Measurements: In all subjects seminal parameters (sperm count, motility, viability and morphology) and hormonal levels were determined in the serum (follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, free testosterone and prolactin) at the beginning of the study. Seminal parameters and hormonal levels were reassessed after six, twelve and eighteen months of antiviral combined (interferon + ribavirin) treatment. RESULTS: Patients before treatment showed a significantly lower sperm count, motility, viability and morphology as well as lower free testosterone levels than controls. Hormonal pattern of patients and semen parameters did not significantly change after treatment. CONCLUSION: Patients with HCV infection show worse spermatic parameters than controls, suggesting a probable negative influence of virus on spermatogenesis, with more mild impairment during and after antiviral treatment.