OBJECTIVE: To study the frequency of vasectomy in men with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). BACKGROUND: PPA is a dementia syndrome in which aphasia emerges in relative isolation during the initial stages of illness. On the basis of a clinical observation in a patient who dated the onset of symptoms to the period after a vasectomy, and because of the curious sharing of the tau protein exclusively by brain and sperm, vasectomy rates were examined in men with PPA. METHOD: This study used a case control design. Forty-seven men with PPA and 57 men with no cognitive impairment (NC) between 55 and 80 years of age were surveyed about a history of vasectomy. RESULTS: The age-adjusted rate of vasectomy in PPA patients (40%) was higher than in NC (16%, P=0.02). There was a younger age at onset for the patients with vasectomy (58.8 vs. 62.9 y, P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Vasectomy may constitute one risk factor for PPA in men. Potential mechanisms mediating risk include vasectomy-induced immune responses to sperm, which shares antigenic epitopes with brain. Antisperm antibodies can also develop in women and become risk factors for PPA.
OBJECTIVE: To study the frequency of vasectomy in men with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). BACKGROUND: PPA is a dementia syndrome in which aphasia emerges in relative isolation during the initial stages of illness. On the basis of a clinical observation in a patient who dated the onset of symptoms to the period after a vasectomy, and because of the curious sharing of the tau protein exclusively by brain and sperm, vasectomy rates were examined in men with PPA. METHOD: This study used a case control design. Forty-seven men with PPA and 57 men with no cognitive impairment (NC) between 55 and 80 years of age were surveyed about a history of vasectomy. RESULTS: The age-adjusted rate of vasectomy in PPA patients (40%) was higher than in NC (16%, P=0.02). There was a younger age at onset for the patients with vasectomy (58.8 vs. 62.9 y, P=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Vasectomy may constitute one risk factor for PPA in men. Potential mechanisms mediating risk include vasectomy-induced immune responses to sperm, which shares antigenic epitopes with brain. Antisperm antibodies can also develop in women and become risk factors for PPA.
Authors: Tobias S Köhler; Jeremy T Choy; Anees A Fazili; Joel F Koenig; Robert E Brannigan Journal: Asian J Androl Date: 2012-10-15 Impact factor: 3.285
Authors: Zachary A Miller; Katherine P Rankin; Neill R Graff-Radford; Leonel T Takada; Virginia E Sturm; Clare M Cleveland; Lindsey A Criswell; Philipp A Jaeger; Trisha Stan; Kristin A Heggeli; Sandy Chan Hsu; Anna Karydas; Baber K Khan; Lea T Grinberg; Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini; Adam L Boxer; Howard J Rosen; Joel H Kramer; Giovanni Coppola; Daniel H Geschwind; Rosa Rademakers; William W Seeley; Tony Wyss-Coray; Bruce L Miller Journal: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry Date: 2013-03-30 Impact factor: 10.154