Sperm Abnormalities in Male Lupus Patients

Brazilian researchers have found sperm abnormalities in male lupus patients and advise sperm cryopreservation early in the course of the disease.

Polyanna Maria F. Soares, of the University of Sao Paulo, in Brazil, studied 35 men with systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE, and 35 healthy controls.

The study, published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, showed that SLE patients had lower median testicular volumes in both testes compared with controls, a lower median sperm count, and lower motility. SLE patients also had lower sperm volume and a lower percentage of normally formed sperm.

Intravenous treatment with the immunosuppressant cyclophosphamide given after puberty was identified as the major factor in permanent damage to the testes.

The researchers point out that it is not possible to predict which SLE patients will become infertile, and they advise discussing freezing and storing sperm with all male SLE patients.