[Andrologic anomalies in various gastrointestinal diseases]

In several gastroenterological diseases andrological anomalies have become known. From this point of view up to now the liver cirrhosis has been examined most frequently. In patients with cirrhosis apparently the two functions of the testicles are disturbed. On the one hand, a decreased or missing fertility is to be assumed, on the other hand, a cirrhosis does not always exclude the procreative capacity. The hormone analyses plead for the fact that the hypogonadism might rather be conditioned testicularly, in which case the direct toxicity of alcohol may be of importance. In haemochromatosis the hypogonadism develops by a combined mechanism. The cystic fibrosis of the pancreas is practically always associated with a male infertility. In Crohn's disease a disturbance of the spermatogenesis is observed. Even the salazo-sulphapyridine therapy is accompanied by unfavourable influences on the spermiogramme. Cimetidine used in the ulcer therapy shows a certain antiandrogenic effect and after a longer time may evoke impotence and other undesirable andrological side-effects which we, however, did not realize in 4 weeks treatment periods.