The association between varicocele and other vascular diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This study is aimed to evaluate the association between varicocele and other vascular diseases through a systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

We searched Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science for studies that reported varicocele and other vascular diseases published before 30 June 2021. The meta-analysis was performed by Revman V.5.2 to calculate the pooled odds ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Subsequently, the impact of publication bias was evaluated, and sensitivity analysis as performed to assess our results' robustness.

In total, seven case-control studies, including 803 varicocele cases and 727 controls, were included. Our meta-analysis results showed that the varicocele patients had a higher risk of saphenofemoral insufficiency when compared with the control group (odds ratio [OR]: 2.80; 95% confidence intervals [CIs]: 2.03, 3.84; p < 0.00001). Additionally, varicocele patients also had a higher risk of lower extremity venous insufficiency when compared with the control group (OR: 2.34; 95% CI: 1.58, 3.47; p < 0.0001). However, there was no statistical difference in hemorrhoid risk between both groups (OR: 1.13; 95% CI: 0.28, 4.59; p = 0.87).

Our study demonstrated that varicocele patients have higher risk of saphenofemoral and lower extremity venous insufficiencies but not the risk of hemorrhoids.