Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids: worse for the heart than we knew?


Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids
Worse for the Heart Than We Knew?

Matthew W. Parker, MD and Paul D. Thompson, MD
From the Division of Cardiology, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Conn, and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Conn.

Correspondence to Paul D. Thompson, MD, Director of Cardiology, Hartford Hospital, 80 Seymour St, Hartford, CT 06102. E-mail [email protected]



Key Words: Editorials • anabolic steroids • systolic dysfunction


An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.




The use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) among athletes is not new, nor is concern about their potential cardiac effects, but it has been difficult to definitively document deleterious cardiovascular effects from these drugs. There are case reports of unexpected myocardial infarctions1 and even sudden cardiac death2 in AAS users, but such reports are relatively rare given the reported widespread use of AAS. Moreover, their effects on cardiovascular risk factors are confusing. Oral synthetic steroids, such as stanozolol, reduce high-density lipoprotein and increase low-density lipoprotein cholesterol more than parenterally administered testosterone at similar androgenic doses,3 suggesting that oral AAS are more atherogenic, but both stanozolol4 and testosterone5 decrease lipoprotein (a), an important atherosclerotic risk factor. There is also concern that AAS increase blood pressure, but even the literature on this topic is equivocal,6 and some of the purported increase in blood pressure with AAS may be due to the use of undersized sphygmomanometer cuffs in subjects with increased arm circumference.7 Consequently, the overall clinical effect of AAS use on atherosclerotic risk and events is not clear.

Article see p 472

AAS have more consistently been shown to impair left ventricular (LV) diastolic function,8–10 and these clinical studies are supported by pathological evidence of increased myocardial collagen content after exposure to AAS.11 Evidence of LV systolic dysfunction with AAS use has been evasive,12 but recent studies using measures of myocardial strain8,9 suggest that AAS also subtly impair cardiac systolic performance.




Anyone able to access the full paper of this important study without paying the $20.00. If not, I'll pay it.

I think this could be an excellent insight into AAS and thier effects on the heart.

This study is also brand spanking new (Jul 2010).