Cardiovascular consequences of anabolic steroid use
Abstract
With the increase in the prevalence of anabolic steroid (AS) use for non-medical performance and image enhancement purposes, the impact of AS on cardiovascular health is an issue of growing public concern. AS use has long been associated with a number of negative CV outcomes such as acute myocardial infarction, stroke, thrombo-embolisms and sudden death. These associations, however, are largely assumed from case study findings where no cause and effect can be apportioned. Small cohort studies have suggested a negative effect of AS on a number of established CV disease risk factors including, blood pressure (BP), lipid profiles (e.g total cholesterol, LDL and HDL), C-reactive proteins and homocysteine, although data is limited both in number of studies and number of participants and is often contradictory. Another potential mechanism to link AS use to cardiac events has been to assess cardiac structure and function. Available data is contradictory but recent developments in imaging technologies suggest that new mechanistic insights could be developed and/or tested. In study one we investigated the impact of AS use on a broad profile of CV risk factors as well as an in-depth cardiac assessment utilising speckle tracking echocardiography which can assess regional and global cardiac deformation in multiple planes. In AS users we observed an increase in resting heart rate and low- density lipoprotein concomitant to a decrease in high-density lipoprotein levels. 2D and…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence.
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