Following is a list of causes or underlying conditions (see also Misdiagnosis of underlying causes of Cryptorchidism) that could possibly cause Cryptorchidism includes:
The follow list shows some of the possible medical causes of Cryptorchidism that are listed by the Diseases Database:
Other conditions that might have Cryptorchidism as a complication may, potentially, be an underlying cause of Cryptorchidism. Our database lists the following as having Cryptorchidism as a complication of that condition:
Conditions listing Cryptorchidism as a symptom may also be potential underlying causes of Cryptorchidism. Our database lists the following as having Cryptorchidism as a symptom of that condition:
As with all medical conditions, there may be many causal factors. Further relevant information on causes of Cryptorchidism may be found in:
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the causes of Cryptorchidism.
Primary hypogonadism results directly from interstitial (Leydig’s cell) cellular or seminiferous tubular damage due to faulty development or mechanical damage. This causes increased secretion of gonadotropins by the pituitary in an attempt to increase the testicular functional state and is therefore termed hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. This form of hypogonadism includes Klinefelter syndrome, Reifenstein’s syndrome, Turner syndrome, Sertoli-cell-only syndrome, anorchism, orchitis, and sequelae of irradiation.
Secondary hypogonadism is due to faulty interaction within the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, resulting in failure to secrete normal levels of gonadotropins, and is therefore termed hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. This form of hypogonadism includes hypopituitarism, isolated follicle-stimulating hormone deficiency, isolated luteinizing hormone deficiency, Kallmann’s syndrome, and Prader-Willi syndrome. Depending on the patient’s age at onset, hypogonadism may cause eunuchism (complete gonadal failure) or eunuchoidism (partial failure).
Medications, such as exogenous testosterone or anabolic steroids, can also cause of hypogonadism, resulting in infertility.
Hypogonadism is rare, and it has no racial predilection.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
The mechanism whereby the testes descend into the scrotum is still unexplained. Some evidence is available to implicate hormonal factors — most likely androgenic hormones from the placenta, maternal or fetal adrenals, or the immature fetal testis and, possibly, maternal progesterone or gonadotropic hormones from the maternal pituitary.
Researchers have linked undescended testes to the development of the gubernaculum, a fibromuscular band that connects the testes to the scrotal floor. In the normal male fetus, testosterone stimulates the formation of the gubernaculum. This band probably helps pull the testes into the scrotum by shortening as the fetus grows. Thus, cryptorchidism may result from inadequate testosterone levels or a defect in the testes or the gubernaculum.
Because the testes normally descend into the scrotum during the eighth month of gestation, cryptorchidism most commonly affects premature neonates. (It occurs in 30% of premature male neonates but in only 3% to 4% of those born at term.) In about 80% of affected infants, the testes descend spontaneously during the first year; in the rest, the testes may descend later.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Source: The 5-Minute Pediatric Consult, 2008
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