TY - JOUR
T1 - Positive and negative side effects of androgen abuse. The HAARLEM study
T2 - A one-year prospective cohort study in 100 men
AU - Smit, Diederik L.
AU - Buijs, Madelon M.
AU - de Hon, Olivier
AU - den Heijer, Martin
AU - de Ronde, Willem
N1 - Funding Information: We declare no conflicts of interest or commercial affiliations. This work was funded by the Spaarne Gasthuis Academy. This organization had no role in the design and the conduct of the study, the analysis and the interpretation of the data, or in the review or the approval of the manuscript. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/2
Y1 - 2021/2
N2 - An estimated 4-6% of fitness center visitors uses anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS). Reliable data about adverse reactions of AAS are scarce. The HAARLEM study aimed to provide insight into the positive and negative effects of AAS use. One hundred men (≥18 years) who intended to start an AAS cycle on short notice were included for follow-up. Clinic visits took place before (T0), at the end (T1), and three months after the end of the AAS cycle (T2), and one year after the start of the cycle (T3), and comprised a medical history, physical examination, laboratory analysis, and psychological questionnaires. During the follow-up period, four subjects reported a serious adverse event, that is, congestive heart failure, acute pancreatitis, suicidal ideation, and exacerbation of ulcerative colitis. All subjects reported positive side effects during AAS use, mainly increased strength (100%), and every subject reported at least one negative health effect. Most common were fluid retention (56%) and agitation (36%) during the cycle, and decreased libido (58%) after the cycle. Acne and gynecomastia were observed in 28% and 19%. Mean alanine transaminase (ALT) and creatinine increased 18.7 U/l and 4.7 µmol/L, respectively. AAS dose and cycle duration were not associated with the type and severity of side effects. After one-year follow-up (T3), the prevalence of observed effects had returned to baseline. There was no significant change in total scores of questionnaires investigating wellbeing, quality of life, and depression. In conclusion, all subjects experienced positive effects during AAS use. Four subjects experienced a serious adverse event. Other side effects were mostly anticipated, mild, and transient.
AB - An estimated 4-6% of fitness center visitors uses anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS). Reliable data about adverse reactions of AAS are scarce. The HAARLEM study aimed to provide insight into the positive and negative effects of AAS use. One hundred men (≥18 years) who intended to start an AAS cycle on short notice were included for follow-up. Clinic visits took place before (T0), at the end (T1), and three months after the end of the AAS cycle (T2), and one year after the start of the cycle (T3), and comprised a medical history, physical examination, laboratory analysis, and psychological questionnaires. During the follow-up period, four subjects reported a serious adverse event, that is, congestive heart failure, acute pancreatitis, suicidal ideation, and exacerbation of ulcerative colitis. All subjects reported positive side effects during AAS use, mainly increased strength (100%), and every subject reported at least one negative health effect. Most common were fluid retention (56%) and agitation (36%) during the cycle, and decreased libido (58%) after the cycle. Acne and gynecomastia were observed in 28% and 19%. Mean alanine transaminase (ALT) and creatinine increased 18.7 U/l and 4.7 µmol/L, respectively. AAS dose and cycle duration were not associated with the type and severity of side effects. After one-year follow-up (T3), the prevalence of observed effects had returned to baseline. There was no significant change in total scores of questionnaires investigating wellbeing, quality of life, and depression. In conclusion, all subjects experienced positive effects during AAS use. Four subjects experienced a serious adverse event. Other side effects were mostly anticipated, mild, and transient.
KW - anabolic steroids
KW - bodybuilding
KW - doping in sports
KW - performance and image-enhancing drugs
KW - strength training
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85096700663&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13843
DO - https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13843
M3 - Article
C2 - 33038020
SN - 0905-7188
VL - 31
SP - 427
EP - 438
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports
JF - Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports
IS - 2
ER -