Cryptorchidism in Children with Zika-Related Microcephaly

Abstract.

The genitourinary tract was recently identified as a potential site of complications related to the congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). We provide the first report of a series of cryptorchidism cases in 3-year-old children with Zika-related microcephaly who underwent consultations between October 2018 and April 2019 as part of the follow-up of the children cohort of the Microcephaly Epidemic Research Group, Pernambuco, Brazil. Of the 22 males examined, eight (36.4%) presented with cryptorchidism. Among 14 undescended testis cases, 11 (78.6%) could be palpated in the inguinal region. Seven of the eight children had severe microcephaly. Conventional risk factors for cryptorchidism were relatively infrequent in these children. We hypothesize that cryptorchidism is an additional manifestation of CZS present in children with severe microcephaly. As in our cases, for most of the children, the testes were located in the inguinal region, and the possible mechanisms for cryptorchidism were gubernaculum disturbance or cremasteric abnormality.