OBJECTIVETo evaluate the sperm quality of college students in Chengdu area.

METHODSA computer assisted sperm analysis (CASA) was made of the sperm concentration, grade A sperm, grade B sperm, sperm viability rate and movement parameters (VCL, VAP, VSL, LIN, STR) of 549 volunteers from 14 colleges in Chengdu area. The volunteers were divided into normal and abnormal groups according to the criteria (sperm concentration > or = 20 x 10(6)/ml, grade A and B sperm > or = 50% or grade A sperm > or = 25%). The results were compared with the data reported in China.

RESULTSAmong the 549 volunteers, the sperm concentration was (50.90 +/- 27.31) x 10(6)/ml, grade A and B sperm was (42.21 +/- 15.38)%, grade A sperm was (29.48 +/- 13.71)%, and the sperm viability rate was (56.40 +/- 14.77)%. The volunteers with normal sperm accounted for 62.84% (345/549) in contrast with abnormal (37.16%, 204/549). Among the 204 volunteers with abnormal sperms, there were 187 (90.67%) with abnormal motility, 39 (19.21%) with abnormal concentration, 22 (10.78%) with both abnormal concentration and abnormal motility. There were no volunteers without sperm. Among the 345 volunteers with normal sperm, the VCL, VAP and VSL were above 25 microns/s, and the VCL, VAP, VSL, LIN and STR were significantly higher than those of the abnormal group (P < 0.01). Moreover, the sperm concentration and the sperm viability rate in 549 volunteers, including 345 volunteers with normal sperm, were lower than the data reported in China.

CONCLUSIONSDue attention should be paid to the sperm quality of the college students in Chengdu area, whose sperm concentration and sperm viability rate have a tendency to decrease.