Anabolic-androgenic Steroid Use in Saudi Arabia and its Impact on Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Objectives: Despite severe side effects, anabolic steroids are widely used to enhance appearance and performance, raising global health concerns as unsupervised use persists. We aimed to assess Anabolic-androgenic Steroid (AAS) prevalence and risk factors in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Systematic Medline/PubMed and Google Scholar searches were performed to identify articles of interest related to AAS use in Saudi Arabia from the database's inception until August 2024. Following the PRISMA checklist, the following were included in the search: “Anabolic Steroids and Misuse” and “Anabolic Steroids and Saudi Arabia”. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to screen literature and extract data. The Ottawa scale was used for quality evaluation and assessment of nonrandomized studies. We identified 15 articles that reported AAS misuse variables between 2016 and 2024. All studies had a cross-sectional design. We synthesized our results by identifying similarities, highlighting differences between studies and making recommendations based on our findings. Results: Our systematic review revealed that 5303 individuals in Saudi Arabia were reported to have misused AAS based on 15 review articles that have been evaluated in this systematic review. The AAS was predominantly sourced from the internet, friends and gym trainers and the Central Province in Saudi Arabia exhibited the highest instances of AAS misuse. Gym members had a higher prevalence of AAS use. The mean age across the studies…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 5,303 participants or records.
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