Spatial epidemiology of indicators of male reproductive health in Scotland

• Main Author: Farragher, Tracey Marie
• Published: University of Edinburgh 2005
• Subjects: 610.21
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.650504

Objectives: (i) Describe the geographical distributions of three indicators of male reproductive health in Scotland (i.e. testicular cancer, cryptorchidism and hypospadias); (ii) Describe the conjoint geographical distribution of the three indicators specified in (i); and (iii) Identify explanatory factors that might account for the geographical distribution of male reproductive health in Scotland. Methods: An epidemiology study modelling the geographical distributions using routinely collected data of the three indicators. Results: There are similarities in the spatial pattern of the cryptorchidism and hypospadias relative risks, with both conditions having clusters of high relative risks in the East and South-West of Scotland. The spatial variation of the testicular cancer relative risks is not similar to the other two conditions nor is it conclusive that it, has a distinct spatial pattern. The relative risks of the postcode sectors for all the indicators are associated with radon measurements and the rural/urban indicator. The spatial analysis of individual information concerning the cryptorchidism cases indicate that the spatial variation of the relative risks might also be explained by individual information; namely maternal age and co-morbidity with hypospadias. Conclusions; There does appear to be geographically varying risk factors associated with these three conditions. Furthermore, as the spatial variation of cryptorchidism and hypospadias is similar it is likely that they have some common aetiology. As the same risk factors were found to be associated with testicular cancer and the congenital malformations, then this carcinoma appears to share some aetiology with cryptorchidism and hypospadias. Therefore there are geographically varying risk factors whose exposure occurs <i>in utero, </i>that are associated with all three conditions, providing some evidence to support the proposed hypothesis. Further studies are required to investigate the associations between all the disease/conditions of male reproductive health and the various potential risk factors.