LUTEINIZING-HORMONE PULSATILITY AND COMPUTER-ASSISTED ANALYSIS OF SPERM FEATURES IN PATIENTS WITH HODGKINS-DISEASE

The aim of this work was to characterize further the impairment of the reproductive function reported in untreated male patients with Hodgki n's disease. We evaluated the pattern of luteinizing hormone pulsatili ty and unconventional sperm features by computer-assisted sperm analys is (CASA) in 20 adult patients affected by biopsy-proven Hodgkin's dis ease before they were submitted to any therapeutic approach. Changes o f luteinizing hormone pulsatility were documented and consisted mainly in an increase in pulse number in comparison with control subjects (P < 0.05). On CASA, 1/3 of the patients showed a reduction in the sperm number but, when motility, velocity and linearity of progression were evaluated, the number of patients with seminal alterations rose to 2/ 3. Sperm velocity and linearity were already impaired in stages I and II, whereas sperm number was reduced only in stage III, Symptomatic pa tients, regardless of the stage, showed a significant deterioration of all parameters. Our study supports the view that in Hodgkin's disease , before any treatment, a disorder of the reproductive system is prese nt, both at hypothalamic/hypophysial and the gonadal level, having a p athogenesis that deserves to be elucidated by further study.