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Reader532 t1_j8oy881 wrote

~15 years ago, there was research that there was a link between vasectomies and aphasia/dementia.

What is the current theory about this link?

https://www.webmd.com/men/news/20070222/study-suggests-vasectomy-dementia-link

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ramasamymd OP t1_j8ozl66 wrote

One study conducted by researchers at Northwestern University found that men with PPA were more likely to have undergone vasectomy than cognitively normal men of the same age, with 40% of men with PPA having had a vasectomy compared to 16% of others. However, it's important to note that this study only showed a correlation and not causation. Further research is needed to determine whether there is a causal relationship between vasectomy and PPA or other forms of dementia. It's also worth mentioning that the vast majority of men who have undergone a vasectomy do not experience any negative effects on their cognitive abilities.

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Reader532 t1_j8p19vp wrote

It's .. irksome that after 15 years, this is still filed under "needs more research." Aphasia and PPA are no joke.

My father had severe aphasia in his final years, and this link was enough for me to deny having a vasectomy years ago.

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ramasamymd OP t1_j8p2ob1 wrote

Unfortunately, negative studies (studies that do not show an association) do not get published due to publication bias. I am confident that it was a statistical association without a biological explanation.

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Obi_Vayne_Kenobi t1_j8r1ewr wrote

That's a very weird way to do the statistics on this. Only few men get PPA and only very few men get a vasectomy. How do the numbers look like when we're instead asking "how high is the chance for a man who hasn't got a vasectomy to get aphasia, and how high is the chance for a man who has?"

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