65 Users who inject steroids may also develop pain and abscess formation at injection sites. Steroid misuse can cause acne, 70–72 hair loss on the head, cysts, and oily hair and skin. 68Įvidence suggests that weightlifters who misuse anabolic steroids have stiffer tendons, which could lead to an increased risk for tendon injury. 67 When a child or adolescent takes anabolic steroids, the resulting artificially high sex hormone levels can prematurely signal the bones to stop growing. These rising levels of testosterone also provide the signals to stop growth. Rising levels of testosterone and other sex hormones normally trigger the growth spurt that occurs during puberty and adolescence. 54 The cysts can rupture, causing internal bleeding and even death in rare cases. Steroid misuse has been associated with liver damage, 50,51 tumors, 46,52,53 and a rare condition called peliosis hepatis, in which blood-filled cysts form in the liver. 76 In addition, animal models indicate that anabolic steroids suppress the immune system, 77 which could worsen infections. This puts these steroid users at risk for acquiring life threatening viral infections, such as HIV and hepatitis B and C. Many people who inject anabolic steroids may use nonsterile injection techniques or share contaminated needles with other users. It is commonly believed that anabolic steroids will produce irreversible enlargement of the clitoris in females, although there are no studies on this. 65 With continued administration of steroids, some of these effects become irreversible. 64 Women may experience excessive growth of body hair but lose scalp hair.
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Specifically, breast size and body fat decrease, the skin becomes coarse, and the voice deepens. In females, anabolic steroids cause masculinization. 59,62 Anabolic steroids may also act upon the hormone system to increase the risk of testicular cancer, especially when steroids are used in combination with insulin-like growth factor. 56,61 Irreversible changes include male-pattern baldness and breast development (gynecomastia) in men. Changes that can be reversed include decreased sperm production, 56–59 decreased function of the testes (hypogonadism) that leads to low testosterone levels, 60 and shrinking of the testicles (testicular atrophy). Steroid use disrupts the normal production of hormones in the body. Steroids also increase the risk that blood clots will form in blood vessels, potentially disrupting blood flow and damaging the heart muscle, so that it does not pump blood effectively. If blood is prevented from reaching the heart or brain, the result can be a heart attack or stroke, respectively. 47,48 High LDL and low HDL levels increase the risk of atherosclerosis, a condition in which fatty substances are deposited inside arteries and disrupt blood flow.
Steroids contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease partly by increasing the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) 47 and decreasing the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Steroid use has been associated with high blood pressure 41 decreased function of the heart’s ventricles 23,41,42 and cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, 43 artery damage, 44 and strokes, 45,46 even in athletes younger than 30. short stature (if taken by adolescents).40 Possible Health Consequences of Anabolic Steroid Misuse Cardiovascular system 39 One animal study found that exposing male mice for one fifth of their lifespan to steroid doses comparable to those taken by human athletes caused a high frequency of early deaths. One review found 19 deaths in published case reports related to anabolic steroid use between 19 however, many steroid users also used other drugs, making it difficult to show that the anabolic steroid use caused these deaths. Serious and life-threatening adverse effects may be underreported, especially since they may occur many years later. Most data on the long-term effects of anabolic steroids in humans come from case reports rather than formal epidemiological studies. However, others may be permanent or semi-permanent. Most are reversible if the user stops taking the drugs. A variety of side effects can occur when anabolic steroids are misused, ranging from mild effects to ones that are harmful or even life-threatening.