Background: Acitretin belongs to a group of drugs known as retinoids which have similar activity to vitamin A. Vitamin A helps regulate the immune system, impacts cellular growth, differentiation, proliferation, and plays a role in embryonic development.
Objective: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of acitretin administration on semen parameters in male psoriatic patients.
Patients and methods: This cohort study included a total of 31 male psoriatic patients, attending at Dermatology and Andrology Clinics, Mansoura University Hospitals to demonstrate the effect of Acitretin administration on semen parameters. This study was conducted between June 2019 to September 2020.
Results: The average Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score of the studied cases was 17.96 ± 4.55. Most of the studied cases has moderate to severe activity, while only 25.8% of which had severe disease. Positive family history and associated skin diseases were demonstrated in 22.6% and 16.1% of cases respectively. There was no statistically significant differences were detected after treatment as compared with before treatment as regards mean semen volume, semen PH, mean total sperm motility, mean ratio of live sperms, mean sperm concentration, mean pus cells count and mean ratio of sperm with normal morphology.
Conclusion: It could be concluded that retinoids seem to have no adverse effects in the context of semen parameters in male psoriatic patients.