[Epidemiological approach to the relationship between bronchiectasis and sterility]

In recent years associations have been reported between male infertility and chronic pulmonary infections. These disorders include immotile-cilia syndrome, cystic fibrosis and Young's syndrome. For each disorder, case reports or small groups of patients have been described. However, it remains to be determined if these congenital disorders play a significant role in primary bronchiectasis (P.B). To do this, we compared the fertility rate of 35 patients (24 males, 11 females) with clinical and radiological evidence of P.B. and of 71 patients (54 males, 17 females) with secondary bronchiectasis (S.B) due to a defined chest disease (mainly tuberculosis and chronic bronchitis with emphysema). We abstracted the clinical records of this group of 106 patients, hospitalized between 1966 and 1983 for: age at the time of hospitalization, sex, diagnosis (P.B. vs. S.B.), association with sinusitis and situs inversus, socio-economic status, ethnic group, marital status and fertility (graded as 0 or 1+). The crude association between P.B. and infertility is strong (p greater than 0.10). However age may represent a confounding factor as patients with P.B. are younger (p less than 0.01) than patients with S.B., and more often single (p less than 0.01). Initially we restricted the analysis to married patients of both groups, and still got a significant association. Then we compared mean age in childless married people of both groups and observed a non-significant difference. Moreover, when we compared fertility in older patients, for example in people over 30 years old, the association still persists (p less than 0.03). In conclusion, the congenital disorders associating bronchiectasia and infertility must be looked for in the check up of P.B., all the more so as some can be cured of their infertility.