Testicular atrophy in 80 HIV-positive patients: a multivariate statistical analysis

Abstract

This retrospective study of risk factors for testicular atrophy in HIV-infected men investigates the relationship between complications of AIDS such as wasting or opportunistic illness and testicular atrophy. Microscopic sections of the right testis were evaluated for testicular atrophy by assessing the mean score in each of 80 selected HIV-infected patients who underwent an autopsy during a one-year period. A significant association was observed between testicular atrophy and body mass index (BMI) (P=0.0496). Thus, underweight patients with HIV infection were 3.52 times more likely to have testicular atrophy than those with acceptable body weight. Other significant associations between other variables were not found.