Background
Methods
Electronic databases and searched strategies
Inclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria
Endpoints
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Oligozoospermia;
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Asthenozoospermia;
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Teratozoospermia;
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Azoospermia;
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Morphological defects of spermatozoa: head, neck or tail defects;
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pH of semen;
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Testosterone level;
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Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level;
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Luteinizing hormone (LH) level;
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Prolactin level.
Study | Selective endpoints reported |
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Al-Turki2014 10 | pH of semen, testosterone level, FSH level, LH level, prolactin level |
Al-Turki2016 11 | Serum testosterone, semen pH |
Anifandis2014 12 | Sperm immotility |
Caserta2012 13 | Oligozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, teratozoospermia, FSH level, LH level |
Cui2016 14 | Abnormal sperm head, abnormal sperm body, abnormal sperm tail |
Gaur2007 15 | Oligozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, teratozoospermia |
Meri2013 16 | Serum pH |
Mitra2012 17 | Asthenozoospermia (reduced motility), oligozoospermia (low sperm count), teratozoospermia (sperm with abnormal morphology), azoospermia (no sperm count), immotility, sperm head defect, sperm tail defect |
Trummer2002 18 | Asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia, teratozoospermia, azoospermia, testosterone, FSH level, LH level, prolactin level |
Mostafa2006 19 | Amorphous sperm head, pathological sperm midpiece, pathological sperm tails |
Osser1992 20 | Amorphous sperm head, pathological sperm midpiece, pathological sperm tails |
Yu2013 21 | Sperm immotility |
Zhang2013 22 | Semen pH, sperm head defects, sperm neck defect, sperm tail defect |
Zhang2015 23 | FSH level, LH level, testosterone level |
Dikshit1987 24 | Immotility of sperms and abnormal morphology |
Kunzle2003 25 | pH, immotility of sperms and abnormal morphology |
Data extraction and review
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Many original studies did not include risk factors and co-morbidities at baseline;
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Baseline features which were reported in certain studies were different from those reported in other studies and a comparison would not have been possible.
Statistical analysis
Results
Search outcomes
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They included fertile/normal male participants (8);
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They involved infertile couples without specifying the gender (3);
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They reported endpoints which were not considered relevant specifically for this analysis (9);
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They were duplicated studies (21).
Basic features of the studies which were included in this analysis
Studies | Study design | Year of patients’ enrollment | No of infertile smokers (n) | No of infertile non-smokers (n) | Age (years) S/NS |
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Al-Turki2014 | Retrospective | 2010–2012 | 90 | 168 | 34.2/34.1 |
Al-Turki2016 | Retrospective | 2008–2013 | 194 | 322 | 34.6/34.3 |
Anifandis2014 | Prospective | – | 33 | 98 | 37.9/37.1 |
Caserta2012 | Cross sectional | 2006–2011 | 200 | 448 | 38.3/38.5 |
Cui2016 | Prospective | 2013–2015 | 920 | 298 | – |
Gaur2007 | Retrospective | 2001–2004 | 100 | 100 | – |
Meri2013 | Retrospective | 2010–2011 | 396 | 564 | – |
Mitra2012 | Cross sectional | – | 178 | 126 | 40.5/35.0 |
Trummer2002 | Prospective | 1993–2000 | 478 | 517 | 31.5/33.4 |
Mostafa2006 | Prospective | – | 20 | 20 | – |
Osser1992 | Retrospective | – | 186 | 164 | – |
Yu2013 | Cross sectional | 2011–2012 | 147 | 175 | 35.6/33.6 |
Zhang2013 | Retrospective | 2007–2010 | 737 | 775 | 29.6/29.9 |
Zhang2015 | Retrospective | 2013–2014 | 704 | 372 | 29.9/30.4 |
Dikshit1987 | Prospective | 1985–1986 | 219 | 288 | 26.7/26.5 |
Kunzle2003 | Retrospective | 1991–1997 | 655 | 1131 | 32.3/33.2 |
Total no of patients (n) | 5257 | 5566 |
Studies | Type of participants | Alcohol consumption | Reasons for exclusion | Patients identification |
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Al-Turki2014 | Primary and secondary infertility | Alcohol consumption was controlled | Patients with azoospermia | Infertility clinic |
Al-Turki2016 | Primary and secondary infertility | More than 87% of participants do not consume alcohol | Patients with azoospermia | Infertility clinic |
Anifandis2014 | Not specified | 59.9% participants do not consume alcohol, and 28% were moderate consumers | Infertility clinic | |
Caserta2012 | Primary infertility | Not specified | Patients with azoospermia, orchitis or prostatitis, grade 2 or 3 varicocele, undescended testes or its surgery, altered karyotype | Infertility clinic |
Cui2016 | Primary infertility | Not specified | Cryptorchidism, varicocele, infections, anti-sperm antibodies, chromosomal abnormalities | Infertility clinic |
Gaur2007 | Primary infertility | Not specified | Using contraceptive measures, secondary infertility, occupational exposure to chemicals, cryptorchidism, varicocele, chronic illness, leucocytospermia, azoospermia, age > 45 years | Infertility clinic |
Meri2013 | Not specified | Not specified | Varicocele, undescended testes, small testes, azoospermia, mumps, history of inguinal hernia or scrotal surgery, chronic medical illness | Infertility clinic |
Mitra2012 | Not specified | Not specified | Pathology of chronic diseases | Infertility clinic |
Trummer2002 | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Infertility clinic |
Mostafa2006 | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Infertility clinic |
Osser1992 | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Infertility clinic |
Yu2013 | Not specified | Not specified | Unhealthy, varicocele, infection, obstruction of the vas deferens, chromosomal abnormality, azoospermia, severe oligozoospermia, hemospermia, leukospermia, necrozoospermia | Infertility clinic |
Zhang2013 | Not specified | Not specified | Azoospermia, excessive alcohol intake, hallucinatory drugs, serious systemic disease, abnormality of the external genitalia, known family genital disorders, infection or trauma to genitals | Infertility clinic |
Zhang2015 | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Infertility clinic |
Dikshit1987 | Screening for idiopathic infertility | No | Past or present systemic disease, alcohol consumption, genital tract disorder, varicocele, genital infection, hormonal abnormalities or treatment, exposure to radiation, drug abuse | Infertility clinic |
Kunzle2003 | Men attending the andrology laboratory in the context of infertility investigation | Yes | History of orchitis, testicular trauma, sexually transmitted disease, varicocele, inguinal hernia operation and cryptorchism. | Infertility clinic |
Oligozoospermia and teratozoospermia
Asthenozoospermia and azoospermia
Impaired motility of spermatozoa and pH of semen (continuous data)
Morphological defects of spermatozoa
Hormones which were involved in reproduction
Endpoints | No of studies involved (n) | RR or MD with 95% CI | P value | I2 (%) |
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Oligozoospermia | 4 | 1.29 [1.05–1.59] | 0.02 | 0 |
Teratozoospermia | 3 | 1.22 [0.96–1.56] | 0.10 | 0 |
Asthenozoospermia | 4 | 1.42 [0.97–2.09] | 0.07 | 85 |
Azoospermia | 2 | 3.02 [0.23–40.01] | 0.40 | 92 |
pH of semen | 4 | 0.04 [−0.03–0.11] | 0.30 | 92 |
Impaired motility of sperm (continuous data) | 4 | 1.26 [−0.64–3.17] | 0.19 | 87 |
Abnormal form of sperm | 6 | 2.44 [0.99–3.89] | 0.001 | 98 |
Head defects | 3 | 1.76 [0.32–3.20] | 0.02 | 96 |
Neck defects | 3 | 1.97 [0.75–3.18] | 0.002 | 99 |
Tail defects | 3 | 1.29 [0.35–2.22] | 0.007 | 98 |
Testosterone level | 4 | 0.18 [−1.26–1.63] | 0.80 | 94 |
LH level | 3 | 0.18 [−0.47–0.83] | 0.58 | 66 |
Prolactin level | 2 | 1.79 [−5.78–9.36] | 0.64 | 95 |
FSH level | 3 | 0.12 [−0.41–0.64] | 0.66 | 0 |