Viral infections that alter estrogen levels during pregnancy may contribute to the etiology of cryptorchidism.
作者信息
Hadziselimovic Faruk
机构信息
Cryptorchidism Research Institute, Children's day care center Liestal, Liestal, Switzerland.
出版信息
Basic Clin Androl. 2021 Jul 8;31(1):16. doi: 10.1186/s12610-021-00135-7.
Cryptorchidism is as common as type 2 diabetes or celiac disease. Boys with congenital cryptorchidism are at increased risk of infertility and testicular cancer. Zika syndrome, which affects pregnant women, is associated with a high incidence of undescended testes in the infant, accompanied by epididymal anomalies. Zika and influenza virus infections during pregnancy trigger a strong anti-inflammatory immune response and elevated estradiol levels. Elevated estradiol and α-fetoprotein in syncytiotrophoblasts from women who have given birth to cryptorchid boys are indicative of increased estradiol levels in the fetus. Here, I present a hypothesis that hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, cryptorchidism, and retarded epididymal development may be due to elevated fetal estradiol levels caused by viral infection during pregnancy.