Spermatogenic arrest and ‘Sertoli cell‐only’ syndrome—common alcohol‐induced disorders of the human testis

Abstract

The effect of alcohol on spermatogenesis and morphometric analysis of the human testis was investigated in a prospective autopsy study, with detailed alcohol‐use reports from relatives or friends of the deceased. The autopsy series comprised non‐alcoholic controls (daily intake <10 g; n=32) and heavy‐drinkers (n=44) with an intake of >80 g per day. Of the controls, 26 (81.3%) men showed normal spermatogenesis, and six (18.7%) partial spermatogenic arrest. Of the heavy drinkers, only 16 (36.4%) had normal spermatogenesis (p<0.00l), while 23 (52.3%) showed partial or complete spermatogenic arrest (p<0.00l) and five had Sertoli cell‐only (SCO) syndrome (pC0.05). The mean testicular weight of heavy‐drinkers was slightly (p<0.05) lower than in the controls. Compared to men with normal spermatogenesis, testicular weight was slightly lower both in controls and heavy‐drinkers with spermatogenic arrest, and was significantly (p<0.01) lower in heavy‐drinking men with SCO syndrome. Spermatogenic arrest was not correlated with fatty liver or cirrhosis of the liver, whereas four of the five men with SCO syndrome exhibited a fatty liver. Thus, our results suggest that the most common alcohol‐related pathological change in the testes is probably reversible arrest of spermatogenesis. Furthermore, we suggest that many heavy social drinkers may suffer from self‐inacted infertility, as one tenth of heavy‐drinkers in our study had SCO syndrome. Copyright © 1994, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved