Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28834896›Full record

SynthesisMedicine2017

Vasectomy and cardiovascular disease risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Zhen-Lang Guo, Jing-Li Xu, Ren-Kui Lai, Shu-Sheng Wang

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Medicine, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. The review of the long-term health risks associated with vasectomy.International journal of impotence research · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Review of Vasectomy Complications and Safety Concerns.The world journal of men's health · 2021
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Zhen-Lang GuoThe Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Department of Cardiovasology Department of Urology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Jing-Li Xu
Ren-Kui Lai
Shu-Sheng Wang
Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEven though several studies comparing vasectomy and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk have been reported, most are small series with conflicting results. However, the extent of the risk is still uncertain. We therefore explored whether an association exists between vasectomy and CVD incidence and mortality.

methodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases for relevant studies published before January 2017. Multivariate adjusted odds ratio (OR) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and those by subgroups were extracted and pooled using random-effects models.

resultsOverall, 12 observational studies (2 cross-sectional studies, 4 case-control studies, and 6 retrospective cohort studies) comprising 299,436 participants were identified. There was no statistically significant relationship between vasectomy and CVD risk (OR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.81-1.00). Moreover, vasectomy was not associated with CVD mortality (OR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.81-1.00), coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence (OR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.88-1.01), stroke incidence (OR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.72-1.13), and myocardial infarction (MI) incidence (OR: 0.95, 95% CI: 0.88-1.02), with no significant publication bias. In subgroup analyses, the findings on the association between vasectomy and CVD risk were consistent.

conclusionOur findings suggest that vasectomy is not associated with the excess risk of CVD incidence and mortality. Nevertheless, large-volume, well-designed observational studies, with different ethnic populations, low risk of bias, and adjusted confounding factors, are awaited to confirm and update the findings of this analysis.

Indexed as

Cardiovascular DiseasesCoronary DiseaseCross-Sectional StudiesHumansIncidenceMaleMyocardial InfarctionObservational Studies as TopicOdds RatioRetrospective StudiesStrokeVasectomy

Identifiers

PMID28834896
PMCPMC5572018
OpenAlexW2748778573

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.