Risk Factors in Male Infertility: A Case-Control Study

TLDR

Certain occupational risks could not be investigated because the study population did not include agricultural workers exposed to chemicals. The study aimed to evaluate environmental risk factors potentially involved in male infertility. Researchers interviewed 112 azoospermic or oligospermic men and 127 controls about lifestyle and occupational exposures before sperm counts, then performed an unmatched analysis. No occupational risk factor was significantly associated with azoospermia or oligospermia, although high relative risks were noted for radioelectric, nonsedentary clerical, typographic, and textile occupations, none reaching statistical significance.

Abstract

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.