| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2014 | Volume
: 34
| Issue : 1 | Page : 41-45 |
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Testicular function in male patients with lepromatous leprosy
Faten A Abd-Elkawi1, Seham A Bahgat2, Abeer M Kamel1, Asmaa S Farag1, Omima M Ashor1
1 Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
2 Department of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
Correspondence Address:
Abeer M Kamel
MD, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo
Egypt
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/1110-6530.137307
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Background
Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous infectious disease affecting mainly the skin and peripheral nerves. Testicular affection with leprosy occurs mainly in the lepromatous type.
Objective
The aim of the study was to investigate testicular function and potential infertility in male patients with lepromatous leprosy.
Patients and methods
This study included 40 patients and 40 healthy, age-matched and sex-matched controls. All participants were subjected to careful history taking, dermatological and genital examination, complete blood count, liver and renal function tests, complete urine analysis, assessment of follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone levels, and semen analysis.
Results
There was statistically significant difference between patients and controls regarding history, sexual examination, hormonal profile, and sperm count, with high mean FSH and LH hormonal levels among patients and high mean testosterone levels and sperm count among controls. There was statistically significant difference between patients with history of erythema nodosum leprosum and patients without history of erythema nodosum leprosum regarding sexual examination, hormonal profile, and sperm count. There was strong positive correlation between disease duration and hormonal levels of FSH and LH and strong negative correlation between disease duration and hormonal levels of testosterone and sperm count.
Conclusion
Lepromatous leprosy causes a pattern of primary testicular failure. |
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