Prevalence and Risk Factor of Cryptorchidism in Children between 0 - 5 Years in Two Hospitals in Kumba

Abstract

Background: Cryptorchidism is a developmental defect in which a testis or both testes fail to descend from high in the abdomen to the bottom of the scrotum. It has a prevalence of 1.5%. The cause of cryptorchidism often can not be determined, making this a common but sporadic, idiopathic congenital defect. It is thought that genetics, combined with maternal and environmental factors, may disrupt hormones and physical changes that influence testicular development and descent; however, some factors, such as low birth weight and prematurity, have been reported as major risk factors. Cryptorchidism is one of the few known risk factors for testicular cancer; men with a history of cryptorchidism have a three- to four-fold increased risk of testicular cancer compared to those with no history of cryptorchidism. Objective: The aim of this study was to study the prevalence and risk factors of cryptorchidism in children between 0 - 5 years in 2 hospitals in Kumba. Methods: We conducted a hospital-based cross-sectional analytic study on children between 0 - 5 years coming for vaccinations at the Kumba Regional Hospital Annex and Presbyterian General Hospital Kumba, over a study period of 5 months. Scrotal examination was done on the children, and ANC and birth history were obtained from their mothers. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 26; categorical variables were described using numbers and percentages. Multivariate analysis using logistic regression was done to look for association between possible risk factors and cryptorchidism, with a p-value Results: Our study included 112 children and their mothers, with mean maternal age of 27.93 (±6.12) years, and mean child age of 8.24 (±10.90) months. We discovered a prevalence of 9.8%. There was a significant association between self-employment and cryptorchidism, with an aOR of 10.689 (1.182; 96.657) and p-value of 0.035. Conclusion: From our study, we observed a high prevalence of cryptorchidism in this population and an association with self-employment.