Varicocele among infertile men in Qatar

• Published in: Andrologia
• Main Author: ElBardisi H.; Arafa M.; Rengan A.K.; Durairajanayagam D.; AlSaid S.S.; Khalafalla K.; AlRumaihi K.; Majzoub A.; Agarwal A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2017
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84978870892&doi=10.1111%2fand.12637&partnerID=40&md5=7c352b02b1e20abe7c4ad99b9c465b5c

Objective of this retrospective study was to assess the presence and clinical grade of varicocele among Qatari and non-Qatari men evaluated for infertility. Diagnosis of varicocele was performed clinically and confirmed via colour Doppler ultrasonography. A total of 455 infertile male patients (mean age 36.3 ± 7.6 years) were divided into either Qatari (n = 91, mean age 37.3 ± 9.1 years) or non-Qatari (n = 364, mean age 36.0 ± 7.1 years) groups. Among all patients, 43.1% (n = 196) were confirmed to have varicocele, of which 40 were Qatari and 156 non-Qatari. Among all patients, 171 (37.6%) presented with left-sided varicocele and 25 (5.5%) with bilateral varicocele. Of the 196 patients with varicocele, grade I was given to 40 (20.4%), grade II to 68 (34.7%) and grade III to 88 (44.9%). Grade II and III varicocele were seen significantly more frequently than grade I among all patients and non-Qatari patients (p <.05). Grade II varicocele was seen more frequently than grades I or III among Qatari patients, but difference was not significant. Grade III was seen significantly more frequently than grade I among patients with secondary infertility (p <.05). Varicocele is an important health issue in Qatar among both Qatari and non-Qatari men. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH