La durata di malattia e il controllo glicemico influenzano le concentrazioni spermatiche di radicali liberi di ossigeno nei pazienti diabetici.

Aim. Different authors showed various correlations between diabetic illness and male reproductive damage (es. rate of nuclear DNA fragmentation, mithocondrial DNA mutations, increased of enzymatic glication products, etc...). The aim of this observational study carried out on a selected population of diabetic patients (average age 36) with primary infertility was to determine reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in sperm in connection with duration of illness and glicemic control. Methods. All diabetic patients enrolled (17) were submitted to two following spermiograms and ROS sperm analysis, performed according to standard conventional methods. Results. Diabetic patients with better glicometabolic compensation (HBA1C < 7%) showed spermatic rate of ROS production significantively lower regarding the group with worse glicemic control. Diabetic patients with duration of ilness < 5 years showed spermatic rate of ROS production significantively lower regarding the group with greater duration of illness. Conclusion. The degree of oxidative stress in sperm of diabetic patients follows the course of the other chronic complications, getting worse in connection with duration of illness and glicemic control.