Evaluation of Clinical, Hormonal and Ultrasound Parameters of Male Reproductive System in Leprosy: A Cross-Sectional...

Testicular involvement in leprosy is neglected as it is insidious and silent, although it can have an impact on quality of life. Our study aimed at evaluating and estimating the frequency of the hormonal, radiological and clinical parameters in these patients.

A cross-sectional study was conducted including 31 male leprosy patients attending our OPD. After detailed clinical assessment, patients were subjected to ultrasonological with Doppler examination of the scrotum and hormonal evaluation by ELISA technique for serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone (LH) and total testosterone.

Thirty-one patients were included with ages ranging from 19 to 54 with a mean of 34 years. Decreased libido (19.3%) was significantly observed in the abnormal FSH (P < 0.01) and testosterone (P < 0.01) groups. The majority of the clinical findings such as erectile dysfunction, infertility and altered pubic hair pattern were seen in the lepromatous spectrum. Six (19.6%) patients had increased LH and FSH. Twenty-three (74%) had testicular atrophy (<12 ml) as assessed by USG. There was a significant association between the bilateral decreased testicular volumes (TVs) and FSH (P = 0.016 on the left and P < 0.01 on the right). Four of 31 patients had altered testicular echo texture of which two belong to the BL spectrum. The increase in the resistive index (RI) corresponded significantly to the decreased TV (P < 0.01) albeit on the left side only.

A sizeable proportion (74%) of the study sample had testicular atrophy. The significant association between increased RI and testicular atrophy, especially in patients with infertility, emphasises the ancillary role of Doppler indices in methodical diagnosis. Risk factors noted in the study include increased bacillary index, delayed initiation of treatment and recurrent ENL. Early detection, early initiation of MDT and specific therapies such as testosterone replacement can help improve the quality of life.