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Cardiovascular Toxicity of Illicit Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use.
- Source :
-
Circulation . 5/23/2017, Vol. 135 Issue 21, p1991-2002. 12p. - Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- <bold>Background: </bold>Millions of individuals have used illicit anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), but the long-term cardiovascular associations of these drugs remain incompletely understood.<bold>Methods: </bold>Using a cross-sectional cohort design, we recruited 140 experienced male weightlifters 34 to 54 years of age, comprising 86 men reporting ≥2 years of cumulative lifetime AAS use and 54 nonusing men. Using transthoracic echocardiography and coronary computed tomography angiography, we assessed 3 primary outcome measures: left ventricular (LV) systolic function (left ventricular ejection fraction), LV diastolic function (early relaxation velocity), and coronary atherosclerosis (coronary artery plaque volume).<bold>Results: </bold>Compared with nonusers, AAS users demonstrated relatively reduced LV systolic function (mean±SD left ventricular ejection fraction = 52±11% versus 63±8%; P<0.001) and diastolic function (early relaxation velocity = 9.3±2.4 cm/second versus 11.1±2.0 cm/second; P<0.001). Users currently taking AAS at the time of evaluation (N=58) showed significantly reduced LV systolic (left ventricular ejection fraction = 49±10% versus 58±10%; P<0.001) and diastolic function (early relaxation velocity = 8.9±2.4 cm/second versus 10.1±2.4 cm/second; P=0.035) compared with users currently off-drug (N=28). In addition, AAS users demonstrated higher coronary artery plaque volume than nonusers (median [interquartile range] 3 [0, 174] mL3 versus 0 [0, 69] mL3; P=0.012). Lifetime AAS dose was strongly associated with coronary atherosclerotic burden (increase [95% confidence interval] in rank of plaque volume for each 10-year increase in cumulative duration of AAS use: 0.60 SD units [0.16-1.03 SD units]; P=0.008).<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Long-term AAS use appears to be associated with myocardial dysfunction and accelerated coronary atherosclerosis. These forms of AAS-associated adverse cardiovascular phenotypes may represent a previously underrecognized public-health problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00097322
- Volume :
- 135
- Issue :
- 21
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Circulation
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 123191779
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.026945