Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34552795›Full record

ReviewArab journal of urology2021

The impact of COVID-19 on the male reproductive tract and fertility: A systematic review.

Pallav Sengupta, Kristian Leisegang, Ashok Agarwal

Open access · diamondAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Arab journal of urology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed
5.5field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 40 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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  14. The Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic on Reproduction, Sexual Function and Behaviors: A Review of the Main Trends and Findings.International journal of sexual health : official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health · 2022
    Article
  15. Oxidative Stress, Testicular Inflammatory Pathways, and Male Reproduction.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021
    Review
  16. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Pallav SenguptaFaculty of Medicine, Bioscience and Nursing, MAHSA University, Malaysia.
Kristian LeisegangSchool of Natural Medicine, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa.
Ashok AgarwalAmerican Center for Reproductive Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Cleveland Clinic · USMahsa University · MYUniversity of the Western Cape · ZA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), remains an ongoing public health challenge. Although males are affected slightly more than females, the impact of SARS-COV-2 on male reproductive system remains unclear. This systematic review aims to provide a concise update on the effects of COVID-19 on male reproductive health, including the presence of viral RNA in semen, and the impact on semen quality, testicular histology, testicular pain and male reproductive hormones. The global health is fronting an immediate as well as impending threat from the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) causing coronavirus disease (COVID-19), that inflicts more males than females. Evidence suggest that male reproductive system is susceptible to this viral infection. However, there are still several pertinent queries that remain to be fully explained regarding the mechanism in testicular SARS-CoV-2 dynamics and the exact mode of its actions. Thus, the present systematic review aims to provide a concise update on the effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on male reproduction..

methodsA systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines searching the PubMed database. Eligibility for inclusion were original human studies evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on male reproductive health. Specific outcomes required for inclusion were at least one of the following: i) seminal detection of mRNA virus, or evaluation of ii) semen analysis, iii) testicular histology or ultrasonography, iv) testicular clinical symptoms and/or v) male reproductive hormones in COVID-19-positive patients.

resultsOf 553 retrieved articles, 25 met the inclusion criteria. This included studies primarily investigating the presence of viral RNA in semen (

conclusionsClinical evaluation of the male reproductive tract, seminal parameters and reproductive hormones is recommended in patients with current or a history of COVID-19, particularly in males undergoing fertility treatment. Any long-term negative impact on male reproduction remains unexplored and an important future consideration.

Indexed as

COVID-19male infertilityorchitisSARS-CoV-2semen parameterstesticular histologytestosterone

Identifiers

PMID34552795
PMCPMC8451696
OpenAlexW3192355090

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.