Association between orchiectomy and asthma: Insights from 2 population-based cohorts.

BACKGROUND

Orchiectomy, which results in hypogonadism, may increase the risk of asthma due to androgen deficiency.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to investigate the association between orchiectomy and asthma risk.

METHODS

Men aged 18 years or older between 1999 and 2016 were identified from the national real-world database IBM-Explorys. We used multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age and body mass index to determine the risk of asthma among individuals who had and had not undergone orchiectomy. To reproduce our findings, we selected men aged 18 years or older with or without a history of orchiectomy who were enrolled in the globally federated TriNetX database as of May 2024.

RESULTS

In the IBM-Explorys database, the orchiectomy group had a 2-fold increase in the odds of having asthma (adjusted odds ratio = 2.03 [95% CI = 1.91-2.16];  < .001). Similarly, in the TriNetX database, the risk of asthma was higher in the orchiectomy group than in the nonorchiectomy group (adjusted odds ratio =1.61 [95% CI = 1.42-1.82];  < .001).

CONCLUSION

Patients who have undergone an orchiectomy are at increased risk of developing asthma. More research is needed to determine the mechanisms underlying the relationship between asthma diagnosis and orchiectomy.