A short review of male genito-urinary lesions caused by coronavirus disease 2019

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel infectious disease that has spread worldwide since it first appeared in December 2019. It can cause pathologies in several organs of the body through direct and indirect mechanisms. After more than two years of study, the effects of COVID-19 on the genitourinary system are now well-evidenced as COVID-19 has considerable effects on the kidneys, testes, vas deferens, epididymis, seminal vesicles, prostate, and penis. Renal invasion is mainly characterized by acute kidney injury. Testicular invasion is characterized by orchitis, testicular epididymitis, etc. Although COVID-19 has been suspected to spread via serum, evidence for the presence of the virus in the semen of patients is currently scarce. COVID-19 also impacts the sexual function of patients to varying degrees, with some patients developing erectile dysfunction. The underlying mechanisms of COVID-19 invasion into the genitourinary system have not been clearly identified, and more clinical studies are required. This review discusses the impact of COVID-19 on the genitourinary system and male health.

Sequelae of long COVID, known and unknown: A review of updated information

“…Due to the abundance of ACE2 in the testes, testicular injury might be induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection-related oxidative stress and inflammation and further cause abnormal sperm motility, DNA breakage, and male infertility (263). Moreover, invasion by SARS-CoV-2 might cause orchitis and epididymitis of the testis (264). However, this hypothesis is controversial since no inflammatory markers associated with predicting testicular pain or orchitis were found in patients with COVID-19 (265).…”