OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the risk of male infertility among patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

DESIGN:

A nationwide, population-based cohort study.

SETTING:

Not applicable.

PATIENT(S):

Men infected with HBV (n = 5,138) and men without HBV infection (n = 25,690).

INTERVENTION(S):

None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S):

Male infertility, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification.

RESULT(S):

The incidence of infertility was 1.59 times higher in patients with HBV infection than in those without HBV infection (2.21 vs. 1.39 per 1,000 person-years). The risk of developing infertility remained significant among patients with HBV infection (hazard ratio 1.52, 95% confidence interval 1.20-1.92) after adjusting for covariates in a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model.

CONCLUSION(S):

The data show an increased incidence and risk of infertility among men with HBV infection compared with men without HBV.