Impaired semen quality in Crohn's disease--drugs, ill health, or undernutrition?

Even though abnormalities of semen quality in inflammatory bowel disease have been attributed to sulphasalazine therapy, oligospermia was found in 46% of men with Crohn's disease, none of whom were receiving this drug. Oligospermia occurred more commonly than in men with coeliac disease (6%, P less than 0.02), although disordered sperm motility and morphology were found commonly in both conditions. Our findings suggest that factors such as disease activity, nutritional status, and, possibly, other drugs must also be considered when investigating infertility in Crohn's disease.