Auto-immunity to spermatozoa and quality of semen in men with spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the presence of anti-sperm antibodies in serum, and on spermatozoa, in men with spinal cord injury.

DESIGN

Thirty men whose injury occurred 1 to 18 years ago compared with 30 men with normal semen.

PATIENTS AND INTERVENTIONS

Eighteen tetraplegic and 12 paraplegic patients were treated with vibrator or rectal electrostimulation, yielding a total of 25 ejaculates.

RESULTS

Semen analyses (WHO): volume low, with concentration > 100 million/mL in 80%; 8/30 exhibited sperm agglutinating antibodies, but with low titres.

CONCLUSIONS

Low titres of serum antibodies and absence of attached IgA antibodies indicate autoimmunity is not the cause of low sperm motility and penetration capacity in these patients.