Effect of COVID-19 infection on the erectile function.

OBJECTIVE: It has been understood that COVID-19, which has become a global pandemic in a short time, is a disease affecting multiple organs and systems. Some of the organs and systems affected by the disease also play a role in the pathophysiology of erectile dysfunction (ED), which led us to consider the possible effects of the disease on the erectile function. In this study, we aimed to evaluate changes in the erectile functions of patients with COVID-19 among those that had previously diagnosed with mild and moderate ED in our urology outpatient clinic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eighty-one patients aged 18-65 years who were confirmed to have COVID-19 were included in the study. According to disease severity, these patients were divided into two groups as mild (non-hospitalized, n = 60) and moderate (hospitalized but did not require intensive care, n = 21). The patients' pre- and post-disease scores in the five-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) ​​and hormone panel results were compared. RESULTS: The changes in the IIEF-5 scores of the patients from the pre-disease to the post-disease period were statistically significant for both the mild and moderate groups (p < 0.05). When these changes were compared between the mild and moderate groups, the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.156). There was also no statistically significant change in the testosterone, follicle-stimulating, luteinizing, and prolactin hormone levels before and after the disease. CONCLUSION: In this study, we determined that SARS-CoV-2 infection caused deterioration in existing ED in sexually active male individuals, regardless of the severity of the disease.

Short-term effects of COVID-19 on semen parameters: A multicenter study of 69 cases.

OBJECTIVE: COVID-19, which is known to be caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a global health problem that can cause multiorgan damage because of its use of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor in its pathophysiology. We aimed to investigate whether SARS-CoV-2 had a short-term effect on spermatogenesis, which plays an important role in male reproductive health as it has abundant ACE2 expression in testicular tissue. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This multicenter study included 69 patients aged 20-45 years, who admitted to our hospitals between April 2020 and October 2020 with a history of a positive test result for SARS-CoV-2 based on the nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab samples and had recovered from the disease at least three months earlier and who had undergone a spermiogram test in the hospital database within the last year before the onset of disease. The patients were divided into two groups according to their COVID-19 symptoms being mild or moderate, depending on whether they had received home treatment or required hospitalization for oxygen therapy. Semen samples taken before and after COVID-19 were compared within and between the groups in terms of sperm parameters. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients included in the study was 30.4±4.8 years in the mild symptomatic COVID-19 group and 31.06±4.2 years in the moderate symptomatic group. When the spermiogram samples of the patients before and after COVID-19 were evaluated, it was found that motility and vitality significantly decreased in the mild symptomatic group, while the decrease in all semen parameters was statistically significant in the moderate symptomatic group. CONCLUSION: Although the mechanism by which COVID-19 causes testicular involvement remains uncertain, its short-term results on spermatogenesis reveals that COVID-19 negatively affects sperm parameters.