Careful, varicocele!
Study reveals link between varicocele and diabetes
Having studied a large array of insurance claims, researchers from the United States have established a link between the symptoms of varicocele – varicose veins in the left side of the male scrotum, which can lead to infertility and subsequent metabolic disorders, and the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases. An article with the results of this study was published in the journal Andrology (Wang et al., The association between varicocoeles and vascular disease: an analysis of U.S. claims data).
According to statistics, approximately 15% of men in the United States suffer from varicocele. It is believed that the blood coming strenuously through the dilated veins heats the scrotum above normal. Because of this, sexual function is disrupted, less sperm and testosterone – the male sex hormone - are produced. Varicocele causes pain in the groin and reduces fertility. In such a situation, an operation is performed – the vein of the left testicle is removed or bandaged. But in most cases, the disease proceeds without symptoms, so it is not treated, but only monitored for its development. Meanwhile, low testosterone levels alarm doctors. It is associated with an increased risk of metabolic disorders and the occurrence of diseases of the cardiovascular system, according to the lead author of the article, Dr. Nancy Wang from Stanford University Medical School. "No one has yet investigated the relationship between varicocele, testosterone and these diseases," says the researcher.
Wang and her colleagues analyzed American health data stored in the Truven Health Marketscan commercial claims database. This is information about 77 million insurance cases that have occurred with patients since 1996. Scientists have found that in the period from 2001 to 2009, men of reproductive age were diagnosed with varicocele more than 44 thousand times. The case histories were followed for three years from the time of diagnosis. The researchers were interested in whether these patients had cases of diabetes or cardiovascular diseases. For comparison, they analyzed the medical histories of men without varicocele, both suffering from infertility and not.
Analysis of the data showed that men with this diagnosis were more likely to consult a doctor about cardiovascular diseases, diabetes or hyperlipidemia - a condition characterized by abnormally high levels of fats in the blood. There was a clear correlation here. Then the authors of the work studied separately the histories of patients who had obvious symptoms of varicocele, and the histories of those whose disease was asymptomatic. They wanted to find out how different manifestations of the disease correlate with the risk of diabetes, hyperlipidemia or heart problems.
The increased risk of developing these diseases was traced only in patients with obvious fertility disorders and pain in the scrotum. The analysis of asymptomatic varicocele did not reveal such a connection. "If varicocele really does not manifest itself in symptoms, then simply observing the patient is a reasonable approach," says (in a press release of Study links common male medical condition and vascular disease – VM) the main author of the article, associate professor Michael Eisenberg.
The study does not cover all men living in the United States, but its results will allow doctors to better monitor men's health. If you know the risk factors, you can prevent the development or progression of cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders. But the authors of the study go further: they intend to establish whether varicocele plays a role in the occurrence of these diseases or only serves as a symptom of deteriorating health.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru