Comparison of Sperm Deformity Indexes between Patients who have and have not Experienced COVID-19

Year 2024, , 51 - 55, 04.07.2024

Deniz Aka Satar , Rıdvan Bağcı , Umut Demirdelen

https://doi.org/10.38175/phnx.1406623

Abstract

Objective: Ever since its identification in December 2019, the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly disseminated worldwide, giving rise to the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-19) pandemic. The male reproductive system is susceptible to the effects of COVID-19, leading to potential alterations in semen parameters. In this study, we conducted a comparison between patients who have previously contracted COVID-19 and those who have not, specifically focusing on the sperm deformity index (SDI) as a parameter for assessing sperm morphology.
Material and Method: 134 patients over the age of 18 who applied to Hospital Andrology Laboratory between 29 November 2022 and 29 December 2022 were included in the study. Of these, 44 were patients who have had Covid-19, and 90 were patients who have not had COVID-19. These patients were compared in terms of SDI parameter and other semen parameters (ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, total motility, progressive motility and percentage of normal morphology sperm). The calculation of the SDI was performed by dividing the total number of observed deformities by the total count of sperm.
Results: A noteworthy distinction was observed in the SDI values between the two groups, with a statistically significant difference (p<0.001). There were no statistically significant differences found in terms of other semen parameters between the groups (p>0.05).
Conclusion: SDI, one of the semen parameters, was found to be significantly different in both groups. Further comprehensive studies are warranted to thoroughly investigate the impact of COVID-19 on semen parameters.

Keywords

Sperm deformity index, COVID-19, Semen parameters

COVİD-19 Geçiren ve Geçirmeyen Hastaların Sperm Deformite İndeks Değerlerinin Karşılaştırılması

Abstract

Amaç: Yeni koronavirüs SARS-CoV-2, Aralık 2019’da tanımlanmasından bu yana hızla dünya çapında yayılmış ve COVID-19 (koronavirüs hastalığı-19) salgınına yol açmıştır. Erkek üreme sistemi, COVİD-19’un etkilerine karşı hassastır ve bu durum semen parametrelerinde potansiyel değişikliklere yol açabilmektedir. Bu çalışmada, özellikle sperm morfolojisini değerlendirmeye yönelik bir parametre olan sperm deformite indeksi’ne (SDI) odaklanarak, daha önce COVİD-19’a geçirmiş ve geçirmemiş hastalar arasında bir karşılaştırma yaptık.
Gereç ve Yöntem: Çalışmaya 29 Kasım 2022 ile 29 Aralık 2022 tarihleri arasında Adana Şehir Hastanesi Üremeye Yardımcı Tedavi Merkezi’ne başvuran 18 yaş üstü 134 hasta dahil edildi. Bunlardan 44’ü COVID-19 geçirip iyileşen, 90’ı ise COVID-19 geçirmeyen hastalardı. Bu hastalar SDI parametresi ve diğer semen parametreleri (ejakülat hacmi, sperm konsantrasyonu, toplam sperm sayısı, toplam hareketlilik, ilerleyici hareketlilik ve normal morfolojiye sahip sperm yüzdesi) açısından karşılaştırıldı. SDI hesaplanması, gözlenen toplam deformite sayısının toplam sperm sayısına bölünmesiyle yapıldı.
Bulgular: Her iki grup arasında SDI değerlerinde istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farkla dikkat çekici bir farklılık gözlendi (p<0,001). Gruplar arasında diğer semen parametreleri açısından istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılık saptanmadı (p>0,05).
Sonuç: Semen parametrelerinden SDI’nın her iki grupta da anlamlı olarak farklı olduğu görüldü. COVID-19’un semen parametreleri üzerindeki etkisini kapsamlı bir şekilde araştırmak için daha kapsamlı çalışmalara ihtiyaç vardır.

Keywords

Semen parametreleri, COVİD-19, Sperm deformitesi indeksi

References

• Dolanbay EG, Yildiz A, Aydemir H, Acar S, Ersan H, Akar Y et al. İnsan Üreme Sistemi’ne COVID19 Tehdidi. Acta Medica Nicomedia.2022;5(1), 36-42.
• Huang C, Ji X, Zhou W, Huang Z, Peng X, Fan L et al. Coronavirus: A possible cause of reduced male fertility. Andrology. 2021;9(1):80-87.
• Aksak T, Satar DA, Bagci R, Gulteki N EO, Coşkun A, Demirdelen U. Investigation of the effect of COVID-19 on sperm count, motility, and morphology. J Med Virol. 2022;94(11):5201-5205.
• Dipankar SP, Kumar T, Itagi ABH, Naik BN, Kumar Y, Sharma M et al. Semen Quality in Males Suffering From COVID-19: A Pilot Study. Cureus. 2022;14(11):e31776.
• Khalili MA, Leisegang K, Majzoub A, Finelli R, Panner Selvam MK, Henkel R et al. Male Fertility and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review of the Literature. World J Mens Health. 2020;38(4):506-520.
• Mansour G, Aziz N, Sharma R, Falcone T, Goldberg J, Agarwal A. The impact of peritoneal fluid from healthy women and from women with endometriosis on sperm DNA and its relationship to the sperm deformity index. Fertil Steril. 2009;92(1):61-7.
• WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen, sixth edition. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
• Morey-León G, Puga-Torres T, Blum-Rojas X, González-González M, Narváez-Sarasti A, Sorroza-Rojas N. Description of the semen quality from men treated in an assisted reproduction center in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Rev Peru Med Exp Salud Publica. 2020;37(2):292-296. Spanish, English.
• Aziz N, Buchan I, Taylor C, Kingsland CR, Lewis-Jones I. The sperm deformity index: a reliable predictor of the outcome of oocyte fertilization in vitro. Fertil Steril. 1996;66(6):1000-8.
• Gatimel N, Moreau J, Parinaud J, Léandri RD. Sperm morphology: assessment, pathophysiology, clinical relevance, and state of the art in 2017. Andrology. 2017;5(5):845-862.
• Kurashova NA, Dashiev BG, Kolesnikov SI, Dmitrenok PS, Kozlovskaya EP, Kasyanov SP et al. Changes in Spermatogenesis, Lipoperoxidation Processes, and Antioxidant Protection in Men with Pathozoospermia after COVID-19. The Effectiveness of Correction with a Promising Antioxidant Complex. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2022;173(5):606-610.
• Rafiee B, Bagher Tabei SM. The effect of N-acetyl cysteine consumption on men with abnormal sperm parameters due to positive history of COVID-19 in the last three months. Arch Ital Urol Androl. 2021;93(4):465-467.
• Li H, Xiao X, Zhang J, Zafar MI, Wu C, Long Y et al. Impaired spermatogenesis in COVID-19 patients. EClinicalMedicine. 2020;28:100604.
• Guo TH, Sang MY, Bai S, Ma H, Wan YY, Jiang XH et al. Semen parameters in men recovered from COVID-19. Asian J Androl. 2021;23(5):479-483.
• Gharagozloo P, Cartagena S, Moazamian A, Drevet JR, Somkuti S, Aitken RJ. Rapid impact of COVID-19 infection on semen quality: a case report. Transl Androl Urol. 2022;11(1):110-115.
• Guo L, Zhao S, Li W, Wang Y, Li L, Jiang S et al. Absence of SARS-CoV-2 in semen of a COVID-19 patient cohort. Andrology. 2021;9(1):42-47.
• Piroozmanesh H , Cheraghi E, Naserpoor L, Aghashahi M, Jannatifar R. The Effect of COVID-19 Infection on Sperm Quality and Male Fertility. Jentashapir J Cell Mol Biol. 2021;12(2):e115390.
• Koc E, Keseroglu BB. Does COVID-19 Worsen the Semen Parameters? Early Results of a Tertiary Healthcare Center. Urol Int. 2021;105(9-10):743-748.
• Ma L, Xie W, Li D, Shi L, Ye G, Mao Y et al. Evaluation of sex-related hormones and semen characteristics in reproductive-aged male COVID-19 patients. J Med Virol. 2021;93(1):456-462.
• Temiz MZ, Dincer MM, Hacibey I, Yazar RO, Celik C, Kucuk SH et al. Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 in semen samples and the effects of COVID-19 on male sexual health by using semen analysis and serum male hormone profile: A cross-sectional, pilot study. Andrologia. 2021 Mar;53(2):e13912.
• Gacci M, Coppi M, Baldi E, Sebastianelli A, Zaccaro C, Morselli S et al. Semen impairment and occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in semen after recovery from COVID-19. Hum Reprod. 2021;36(6):1520-1529.
• Holtmann N, Edimiris P, Andree M, Doehmen C, Baston-Buest D, Adams O et al. Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 in human semen-a cohort study. Fertil Steril. 2020;114(2):233-238.
• Aziz N, Saleh RA, Sharma RK, Lewis-Jones I, Esfandiari N, Thomas AJ Jr et al. Novel association between sperm reactive oxygen species production, sperm morphological defects, and the sperm deformity index. Fertil Steril. 2004;81(2):349-54.
• Turner AJ. ACE2 Cell Biology, Regulation, and Physiological Functions. The Protective Arm of the Renin Angiotensin System (RAS). 2015:185-9.