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Anabolic steroids: dependence and complications of chronic use

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Abstract

Anabolic steroids are widely used for doping, in professional and domestic sports. The mechanism of action is not completely understood. It may differ somewhat depending on the specific molecule due to structural differences that influence the specificity of binding with steroid receptors. When used by athletes in training, they can improve performance to levels that cannot be attained by almost any combination of sophisticated nonchemical support by modern sport science. The severity of the undesired effects of anabolic steroids depends on a variety of factors, from the type and combination of them, the dose and duration of administration, as well as the gender of the person taking the drug. Younger individuals and women show greater effects caused by anabolic steroids in terms of performance, but are also at greater risk of side effects. This paper presents a review of the literature concerning the major adverse effects of anabolic steroids, focusing the attention on possible situations of addiction from this category of drugs.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr. Anna Fratucello of the Pharmacy Service of the Azienda Ospedaliera of Verona and Leighton Thomas, whose suggestions have improved the quality of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest related to the publication of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Internal Medicine and Addictive Disorders, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Verona, Ospedale Policlinico, Piazza L. A. Scuro, 37134, Verona, Italy

    Gianluca Quaglio, Anna Fornasiero, Paolo Mezzelani, Stefano Moreschini, Fabio Lugoboni & Alessandro Lechi

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  1. Gianluca Quaglio
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  2. Anna Fornasiero
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  3. Paolo Mezzelani
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  6. Alessandro Lechi
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Correspondence to Alessandro Lechi.

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Quaglio, G., Fornasiero, A., Mezzelani, P. et al. Anabolic steroids: dependence and complications of chronic use. Intern Emerg Med 4, 289–296 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-009-0260-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-009-0260-5

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