Abstract
Due to previous animal research suggesting accelerated atherosclerosis following vasectomy,
we examined whether vasectomy increases the risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease
(CVD), including myocardial infarction (MI), angina pectoris, coronary revascularization,
and stroke, in the US Physicians’ Health Study. Of 22,071 US male physicians participating
in the study, aged 40 to 84 years at entry and free from cardiovascular disease and
cancer, 21,028 reported on the 60-month questionnaire whether they had undergone vasectomy
prior to randomization. Of the 4546 physicians with vasectomy, 1159 had undergone
the procedure at least 15 years before entry. During 258,892 person-years of follow-up,
we documented 773 cases of MI (719 nonfatal and 54 fatal), 1907 cases of angina pectoris
or coronary revascularization, and 604 confirmed cases of ischemic or hemorrhagic
stroke (566 nonfatal and 38 fatal). When compared to men without prior vasectomy,
the multivariate relative risk (RR) of total MI adjusted for age and other coronary
risk factors was 0.94 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77–1.14) among men with vasectomy.
Risk estimates for fatal and nonfatal events did not appreciably differ from each
other. For angina or coronary revascularization or both, the multivariate relative
risk was 0.99 (0.88–1.12) and for total stroke the RR was 0.95 (0.75–1.21). For men
who had undergone vasectomy 15 or more years previously, the multivariate relative
risks were 0.98 (0.73–1.32) for total MI, 1.17 (0.87–1.57) for total stroke, and 1.12
(0.94–1.35) for angina/revascularization. These results provide reassuring evidence
that vasectomy does not materially increase the risk of subsequent cardiovascular
disease, even 15 or more years following the procedure.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
March 2,
1999
Received in revised form:
March 2,
1999
Received:
January 22,
1999
Identification
Copyright
© 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
