Table 8. Subgroup analysis of the effects of COVID-19 disease severity on sperm quality and sex hormones.
| Variable | Subgroup | No. | p-valuea | SMD (95% CI) | I2 (%) | p-valueb | p-valuec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volume (mL) | Mild type | 3 | 0.331 | -0.188 (-0.568 to 0.192) | 0.0 | 0.602 | 0.745 |
| Moderate type | 3 | 0.182 | -0.402 (-0.991 to 0.188) | 64.0 | 0.602 | 0.644 | |
| Total sperm count (×106) | Mild type | 2 | 0.274 | -0.247 (-0.690 to 0.196) | 0.0 | 0.317 | - |
| Moderate type | 2 | 0.161 | -0.217 (-0.520 to 0.086) | 0.0 | 0.317 | - | |
| Sperm concentration (×106/mL) | Mild type | 3 | 0.578 | -0.108 (-0.488 to 0.273) | 0.0 | 0.602 | 0.156 |
| Moderate type | 3 | 0.067 | -0.277 (-0.447 to 0.021) | 0.0 | 0.602 | 0.143 | |
| Total motility (%) | Mild type | 3 | 0.261 | -0.523 (-1.434 to 0.388) | 80.4 | 0.602 | 0.476 |
| Moderate type | 3 | 0.005 | -0.953 (-1.618 to -0.289) | 69.1 | 0.602 | 0.877 | |
| Progressive sperm motility (%) | Mild type | 3 | 0.574 | -0.205 (-0.918 to 0.508) | 69.1 | 0.602 | 0.074 |
| Moderate type | 3 | 0.516 | -0.309 (-1.242 to 0.624) | 89.1 | 0.317 | - |
No.: number of studies, SMD: standard mean difference, CI: confidence interval, -: not available.
ap-value of effect. bp-value of Begg’s test for publication bias. cp-value of Egger’s test for publication bias.