Risk Factors in Male Infertility: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

A case-control study was undertaken to evaluate environmental risk factors potentially involved in male infertility. One hundred twelve azoospermic or oligospermic subjects and 127 controls were interviewed, before sperm count results were available, about coffee and alcohol consumption, smoking habits, x-ray exposure, usual sitting posture, drug consumption, other nonoccupational risk factors, socioeconomic status, education level, and occupational history. An unmatched analysis was then conducted. None of the occupational risk factors appeared to be related to azoospermia or oligospermia. A high relative risk was associated with (1) occupation in the radioelectric industry, (2) nonsedentary clerical workers, (3) clerical work in the typographic industry, and (4) occupation in the textile industry, but none of these figures were statistically significant. Because of the population from which cases and controls were drawn, certain occupational risks could not be investigated in this study, e.g., exposure of agricultural workers to chemicals.

Workplace exposures and male infertility — A case-control study

“…Moreover, the computer-released radiation causes changes in enzymatic antioxidant defense system and leads to oxidant stress [36]. Other studies reported that electromagnetic field exposure from electronic equipment and VDTs may decrease the melatonin level, leading to oxidative stress [37,38] which may result in impairment of the semen quality. On the other hand, other…”

Environnement et Spermatogenèse

“…Plus pr6s de nous une 6tude de type cas (n=60) t6moin (n=165) men6e chez des miltaires de Ia r6gion de Brest met en 6vidence, apr6s analyse multivari6e ayant int6gr6 les facteurs de risque pour la fertilit6 chez l'homme et chez la femme, un risque augment6 de consulter pour inf6condit6 si l'homme est expos6 ~ la chaleur (OR: 5,4 [1,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]4]) ou aux radiations (OR : 2,9 [1,3-6,3]). Ces expositions 6tant dries au travail dans les sous marins en ce qui concerne les radiations, et aux professions de cuisinier, sous marinier en ce qui concerne la chaleur [116].…”

Human adverse reproductive outcomes and electromagnetic field exposures: review of epidemiologic studies.

“…Goldhaber et al (23) (Tables 1, 2) have involved seemingly heterogeneous exposures, such as working in a 400-kvV switchyard (13) and home use of an electric blanket (14,16 interested in very low frequency EM fields, and investigations of electrically heated bedwarmers focused on exposure to extremely low frequency fields. In the occupational studies of electrical workers (2,12,13,17,18), it is not clear whether risks from electrical fields or magnetic fields were being assessed. In addition, higher frequency field exposures have been examined by other investigators (85)(86)(87)(88)(89)(90).…”

“…The implication of neglecting these other sources is that variations in EM field exposure among individuals in the study populations might be overlooked. Such misdassification errors probably would reduce the magnitude of estimated effects (95 (19,20,(22)(23)(24)27,30), occupation in electronics industry (17), or residence in cable heat homes (15).…”

“…In a case-control study of 112 infertile males (azospermic or oligospermic) and 127 males with normal sperm counts, Buiatti et al (17) found an odds ratio of 5.9 associated with employment in the radioelectric industry. The elevated risk was imprecise (95% confidence interval = 0.86, 40.2), and no details were provided about the possible electric and magnetic field exposures that might be associated with occupations in the radioelectric industry.…”