Potential effects of COVID-19 on reproductive health: a mini review

Am J Transl Res. 2021 Dec 15;13(12):13321-13327. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now a major public health problem worldwide. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infectivity is extremely strong. One major target of the virus is the lung, which can lead to death due to the development of respiratory distress syndrome and even multiple system organ failure. The possible pathophysiology by which SARS-CoV-2 affects the object is by way of the receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). From the study of the viral structure and infection mechanisms, researchers have discovered that the ACE2 acts as a receptor for SARS-CoV-2. According to previous studies, ACE2 is one of the key enzymes in the RAS system. Physiological functions can be found in angiosarcomas and in the kidney, liver, intestine and so on. Whether SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to male fertility impairment has recently received attention. Nevertheless, the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and reproductive health is currently poorly understood. Using key words including "SARS-CoV-2", "reproductive health", "ACE2" and "2019-nCoV", we retrieved original articles and reviews from the PubMed and WEB OF SCI databases published before December 16, 2020 and performed a thorough review of them. Compared with females, we discovered that infected person with SARS-CoV-2 was higher in males. Men who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 may be easy to suffer from impaired reproductive health. These investigations would help for a comprehensive grasp of the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and reproductive health.

Keywords: 2019-nCoV; ACE2; SARS-CoV-2; reproductive health; sperm.

Publication types

  • Review