Epidemiological and aetiological factors of male infertility in northern Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate some epidemiologic and aetiologic factors for male infertility in our patients. METHOD All male patients who presented with infertility in urology clinic of the department of surgery between 1991and2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Epidemiologic and aetiological factors of male infertility were studied. RESULT There were 537 patients; age ranged 18 to 56 years with a mean of 34 +/- 9.0 SD years. Primary infertility was seen in 515 (96%) patients. About 70% were infertile for 2 to 6 years. Primary testicular insufficiency was seen in 260 patients (48.7%) mainly resulting from genitourinary tract infection. Azoospermia resulting from testicular pathology was seen in 18 (3.4%) and obstruction to the vas or epididymis was seen 75 (14.0%) patients. Two hundred and fourteen (45%) patients had oligospermia resulting from testicular insufficiency while 61 (11.4%) had oligospermia due obstruction. CONCLUSION Infertility resulted mainly from preventable causes. This can be prevented by prompt and adequate treatment of genitourinary infection, testicular maldescent and testicular torsion.