High Usage Of Anabolic Steroids Causes Thrombosis, Heart Hypertrophy And Hepatitis
Recently, the Federal Council of Medicine prohibited the use of anabolic steroids for aesthetic purposes, on the grounds that there is not enough scientific evidence to guarantee the safety of patients who ingest these substances. Cardiovascular problems and high blood pressure can be the effects of this misuse, as clarified by Professor Elaine Maria Frade Costa, from the discipline of Endocrinology and Metabology at the Faculty of Medicine of USP.
Professor Elaine gives the example of testosterone, which is the best-known substance among anabolic steroids and is used for hormone replacement. “Hormone replacement, as the name implies, is a substance to replace other substances or a substance that the body does not produce. Specifically speaking of testosterone, it is a male hormone that is intended as a replacement for men who do not produce testosterone adequately.”
Testosterone has two effects: virilizing and anabolic. The virilizing determine masculinization, while the anabolic increases certain cells in the body. “They [anabolic steroids] have been used to improve performance in athletes, improve performance, improve body condition, improve muscle mass and decrease fat mass.”
health consequences
To meet aesthetic standards and to accelerate the conquest of a more athletic body, anabolic steroids are used in very high doses, from five to 15 times greater than the doses used by doctors to replace hormones missing in their patients. This has serious health consequences, according to Elaine: “One of the main side effects of abusive use of anabolic steroids is the production of red blood cells. That is, you increase blood viscosity, you make it easier to cause hypercoagulability, that is, thrombosis. And, in addition, you still have hypertrophy, because, in the same way that it increases the muscle mass of the skeletal muscle, the arm muscle or the leg muscle, it also increases the heart.”
In addition, there are risks for the liver: “You can cause drug-induced hepatitis, especially with the use of oral anabolic steroids, drug-induced hepatitis that can lead to cirrhosis”, adds Elaine. This is a risk that affects athletes and non-athletes alike. Women, for example, look for anabolic steroids especially to reduce the body’s fat mass, remove fat accumulation, flaccidity and cellulite. Therefore, in addition to the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology, other societies such as Cardiology, Gynecology and Sports Medicine have been joining together to raise awareness about the dangers of the misuse of hormones.