To determine the long-term effects of vasectomy on health we studied the incidence of hospitalized illness in 4,385 vasectomized and 13,155 age and race-matched nonvasectomized men. In none of the 16 disease groupings we examined was the incidence of hospitalized illness in the vasectomized men significantly different from that in the nonvasectomized men, considering men with all durations of vasectomy. Neither the incidence of acute myocardial infarction, other ischemic heart disease nor that of all atherosclerotic diseases considered as a group was significantly different between the vasectomized and nonvasectomized men, even in those whose duration of vasectomy was 10 years or more. These data are reassuring, providing no evidence for an adverse health effect of vasectomy in men.
PIP: To determine the longterm effects of vasectomy on health, the incidence of hospitalized illness in 4385 men who had been vasectomized and 13,155 age- and race-matched men who had not undergone a vasectomy were studied. For the study subjects information on all hospitalizations in the medical care program's Northern California hospitals after the examination and through 1980 was obtained from computer stored discharge summaries, which were coded according to the International Classification of Diseases. Only the principal discharge diagnosis for each hospitalization was used in this analysis. The ratio of the incidence rate in the vasectomized men to the incidence rate in the controls was used to estimate relative risk. 95% confidence intervals for the relative risk estimates were calculated using the test based method. For all of the disease groupings, except neoplasms of unspecified nature, relative risk estimates were near 1. Considering men with all durations of vasectomy, for all of the disease groupings, the 95% confidence intervals for the estimated relative risk included 1 and, therefore, are not statistically significant. For all of the disease groupings the relative risk estimates were close to 1 in men with short and with long durations of vasectomy. The relative risks of acute myocardial infarction, other ischemic heart disease, and all atherosclerotic disease considered as a group were close to 1, and the confidence intervals were narrow. In men whose duration of vasectomy was greater than 10 years the relative risks of these diseases were near 1 and the confidence intervals for the relative risk estimates were narrow. In an earlier study it was found that the prevalence of peptic ulcer disease, kidney and bladder infection, joint swelling or pain, and back trouble was higher in vasectomized men. The incidence of hospitalized illnesses that are the counterpart of these conditions was low in this study, and the 95% confidence intervals were correspondingly wide. Thus the study is not an adequate examination of the relation of vasectomy to these conditions. In sum, the study provides no evidence for an adverse health effect of vasectomy in men.