ANABOLIC STEROID ABUSE
Since the 1950’s, some athletes have been taking anabolic steroids to build muscle boost their athletic performance. Increasingly, other segments of the population also have been taking these compounds. An anual survey of drug abuse among adolescents showed a significant increase from 1998 to 1999 in steroid abuse among middle school students. During the same year, the percentage of 12th-graders who believed that taking these drugs causes “great risk” to health, declined from 68 percent to 62 percent.
Studies show that, over time, anabolic steroids can indeed take a heavy toll on a person’s health. The abuse of oral or injectable steroids is associated with higher risks for heart attacks and strokes, and the abuse of most oral steroids is associated with increased risk for liver problems. Steroid abusers who share needles or use non-sterile techniques when they inject steroids are at risk os contracting dangerous infections, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatites B and C, and bacterial endocarditis.
Anabolic steroid abuse can also cause undesirable body changes. These include breast development and genital shrinking in men, masculinization of the body in women, and acne and hair loss in both sexes.
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We hope that this compilation of scientific information on anabolic steroids will help the public recognize the risks of steroid abuse.
Alan I. Leshner, Ph.D. Director National Institute on Drug Abuse
www.nida.nih.gov
Check the meaning of the word in bold.
- The abuse of steroids is associated with risks for heart attacks and strokes.