Impact of COVID-19 Disease on Male Infertility Patients: Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35516/jjps.v18i4.3166Abstract
COVID-19, the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic, affects multiple organs, including the respiratory tract, liver, kidneys, heart, gastrointestinal tract, and the male reproductive system. The male reproductive tract expresses the angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE-2), the primary viral entry receptor, in spermatogonia, Leydig, and Sertoli cells. While viral infections can damage male fertility via cytokine storms, the effects of COVID-19 on male fertility are still unclear. Therapeutic methods to prevent and treat COVID-19 patients must consider the possibility of multiorgan dysfunction. While male patients may have infertility, there is little information available about how to treat them. Various microbes, including bacteria and viruses, can harm the male reproductive function. This review aims to investigate the possibility of infertility or diminished fertility in COVID-19 patients and the pathogenic mechanisms that may be causing infertility during and after recovery from COVID-19. This review produced the impact of COVID-19 on male reproductive health involving multiple mechanisms, including viral entry via ACE2 receptors, testicular inflammation, hormonal changes, and disruptions in RAS signaling. However, long COVID-19 does not include long-term detrimental consequences on male fertility potential since the observed alterations were reversible after 1-2 spermatogenesis cycles.
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