Complications of long term steroid use | Drugs & Medications articles | Therapies & Treatments center

Introduction

Steroid medications are widely used, not only by sportsmen but also by people who are not professionally engaged in sports but are eager to build up their muscles. Anabolic steroids used for this purpose can only be prescribed by a doctor.

However, there are pathways, and each person can get to these medications rather easily, better to say illegally. They can be and are mostly distributed in gyms, and each competition has at least one athlete who has been disqualified because of steroid abuse. One more way of getting steroids is by purchasing from drug manufacturers in illegal laboratories. These medications are even smuggled across the borders. In certain European countries, as well as Mexico, steroids are available even without a doctor's prescription.

For all those who want to use these medications, it is highly recommendable to read and get familiar with all the side effects that these medications possess. Thorough information may be beneficial, and some may even change their mind and either discontinue the usage of steroids or will not even attempt to use them.

The use of performance-enhancing drugs is an important and increasing phenomenon no longer limited only to elite athletes. Nowadays, people employ a broad variety of drugs in order to improve their athletic performance.

Recent studies suggest that 3 to 12% of male adolescents and about 1 to 2% female adolescents use anabolic-androgenic-steroids (AAS) at some time during their lives. Serious alterations of different organ systems have been attributed to long-term use of these drugs.
Adverse effects of AAS include myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis, vascular disease and hepatic pathology such as hepatoma, peliosis hepatis, and cholestasis. Steroid-related abnormalities in lipid profiles with elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and depressed high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, as well as hematological disorders, may increase the risk of cardiac infarction and stroke.
Recently, a number of case reports of acute cardiac death associated with steroid abuse has appeared in the literature. The overwhelming majority of fatalities reported in the literature is associated with acute myocardial infarction (MI) with or without thrombotic occlusion of the coronary arteries. Steroid-associated cardiovascular lesions could be demonstrated in animal studies but there seem to exist no steroid-specific pathological findings in humans.

✓ Fact confirmed: Long-Term Effects of Anabolic-Androgenic-Steroid Abuse Roland Hausmann; 2005

Increased Susceptibility to Infections

People who are using steroids for a longer period, are more prone to infections than the general population. These medications act immunosupressively therefore reducing the ability of the immune system to act properly and fight against even mild infections. What is more, these people are at higher risk of getting HIV or hepatitis B or C. This complication is related to the sharing of needles.

Liver and Spleen Complications

The possible complication of prolonged abuse of steroid medications is a medical condition called peliosis. This condition features the formation of cysts that are filled with blood. The cysts may affect the liver as well as other organs, such as the spleen. In case that these cysts are multiple and large, they may affect the function of the liver, and as time goes by liver failure may develop. There is even a chance that the cysts turn into malignant so that the liver cancer occurs. One additional complication of steroid abuse is jaundice.

Metabolic and Heart Complications

Long-term usage of steroids leads to increased levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) while the level of good cholesterol (HDL) is insufficient. This fact, together with increased blood pressure, is responsible for accelerated atherosclerosis and problems with hypercoagulation and clotting. The result is a potential stroke and premature heart attack.

Musculoskeletal Complications

Steroids can affect normal growth, especially in teenagers. Muscles are stronger and larger, but inappropriate development and growth of bones and joints in teenagers puts additional pressure on the skeletal system. The outcome is frequent injuries of ligaments and joints.

Neurological Complications

The consequence on the neurological system depends on the age, and the damage may be reversible or permanent. Depression can be induced by prolonged usage of steroids, and the majority of people tend to become more aggressive. Depression is more expressed in women as a result of hormonal imbalance.

Additional Complications

Several more complications include bacterial infections of the skin caused by repeated injection. Acne is also possible, especially in teenagers. Two types of cancer may be a result of steroid abuse. They include prostate and kidney cancer.