Long-term consequences of sexually transmitted infections on men's sexual function: A systematic review.
Author(s)
Henkel, Ralf
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Objective: To systematically review the available literature on the long-term effects of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) on male reproductive functions. Methods: A PubMed search was conducted on 3 January 2021, and as a result, 952 articles were retrieved. Exclusion of irrelevant articles resulted in 36 articles, dating from 1998 to 2020, which were analysed. Results: Only 52.8% of these articles described original research, while the rest were reviews. The majority (26) of the articles dealt with bacterial infections, of which 20 described Chlamydia trachomatis. There were 11 articles that described research on viruses, with five on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The analysis of the articles showed further that not much new knowledge on the long-term effects on male reproductive functions has been added. The existing knowledge that ascending infections can cause epididymo-orchitis, prostatitis or urethritis was confirmed. Due to epithelial inflammatory responses these infections can result in scarring with resulting infertility due to obstruction. These effects were described for Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma genitalium or Treponema pallidum, as well as for the Zika and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. Even trichomoniasis can lead to long-term compromised male fertility if not treated. Conclusion: In conclusion, problem awareness needs to be raised and more research on this important topic needs to be conducted.
Date Issued
2021-07-07
Date Acceptance
2021-03-17
Citation
Arab Journal of Urology, 2021, 19 (3), pp.411-418
ISSN
2090-598X
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Group
Start Page
411
End Page
418
Journal / Book Title
Arab Journal of Urology
Volume
19
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34552793
PII: 1942414
Subjects
genital tract infection
long-term effects
male infertility
obstruction
Sexually transmitted diseases
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Date Publish Online
2021-07-07