Long-term Consequences of Sexually Transmitted Infections on Men's Sexual Function: A Systematic Review

Overview

Journal Arab J Urol

Date 2021 Sep 23

PMID 34552793

Citations 8

Authors

Ralf Henkel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

: To systematically review the available literature on the long-term effects of sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) on male reproductive functions. 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. 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 . 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 or , as well as for the Zika and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. Even trichomoniasis can lead to long-term compromised male fertility if not treated. In conclusion, problem awareness needs to be raised and more research on this important topic needs to be conducted.

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