The Effects of Long-term Colchicine Therapy on Male Fertility in Patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever
- 24 April 2009
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Andrologia
- Vol. 18 (4), 420-426
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0272.1986.tb01801.x
Abstract
Four out of 19 male patients suffering from familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) had fertility problems while on colchicine therapy (0.5-2.0 mg daily for as long as 11 years). Three of the patients had had children while off therapy but their wives could not conceive while they were on therapy. In one patient primary sterility remained one year after cessation of colchicine. In this and two other patients the spermiogram was normal but the sperm penetration test was pathological. The fourth patient had azoospermia. Patients should be informed about this possible risk of colchicine therapy. The need for continued follow-up and the value of the sperm penetration test in the detection of fertility problems in male patients on long-term colchicine therapy are stressed. It is concluded however, that overall the benefits outweigh the danger of long-term colchicine treatment in male patients with FMF.Keywords
This publication has 11 references indexed in Scilit:
- Zona-free hamster ovum penetration assay as a screening procedure for in vitro fertilizationFertility and Sterility, 1983
- Reduced Fertilization Ability of Zona-Free Hamster Ova by Spermatozoa from Male Partners of Normal Infertile CouplesArchives of Andrology, 1983
- The efficacy of colchicine prophylaxis in articular gout—A reappraisal after 20 yearsSeminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, 1982
- ColchicineArchives of Dermatology, 1982
- Suppression of Spermatogenesis in Patients with Behçet’s Disease Treated with Cyclophosphamide and ColchicineFertility and Sterility, 1981
- Effect of the microtubule disrupting agents, colchicine and vinblastine, on seminiferous tubule structure in the ratTissue and Cell, 1981
- Testicular Function in Patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever on Long-Term Colchicine TreatmentFertility and Sterility, 1978
- Long-term colchicine prophylaxis in familial Mediterranean fever.BMJ, 1977
- Colchicine and Testicular Function in ManNew England Journal of Medicine, 1976
- Azoospermia Caused by Colchicine—A Case ReportFertility and Sterility, 1972