Abnormal seminal parameters in patients with thalassemia intermedia and low serum folate levels.

Seminal parameters were evaluated in 16 fully mature patients with thalassemia intermedia. Their ages ranged from 19 to 54 years (mean age 27 yrs) and serum ferritin levels varied from 205 to 3400 ng/ml. Eleven patients (68.7 %) had normal seminal parameters, 1 (1.6 %) had oligospermia, 3 (18.7 %) had asthenospermia and 1 (1.6 %) had oligoasthenospermia. A significant positive correlation was observed between the serum ferritin and ALT and serum ferritin and ?-GT (r: 0.636, p: 0.007; r: 0.497, p: 0.048, respectively), ALT and ?-GT (r: 0.749, p: 0.001) and total sperm concentration and serum folate (r: 0.572, p: 0.02). Despite some limitations, our study has useful clinical implications for the treatment of patients with thalassemia intermedia.