[Genitourinary infection, smoking and alcohol in the male (author's transl)]

Among 3 000 patients attending a subfertility clinic, the proportion of cases with a history of urethritis was found to be very high among heavy smokers. A similar increase was observed among those whose daily alcohol consumption was equivalent to more than a litre of wine. When standardised for age, both these differences remained highly significant. The alcohol effect remained clear when smoking was taken into account, but that due to tobacco was less apparent when alcohol was taken into consideration: in particular an increase was found to be strong among the heavier drinkers. Although the more frequent occurrence of urethritis could be explained by a difference in sexual behaviour, it is plausible that there may be a biological explanation in terms of an impairement to the subjects' immune responses.