LONG-TERM EFFECTS of Steroids

Most data on the long-term effects of anabolic steroids on humans come from case reports rather than formal epidemiological studies. From the case reports, the incidence of life-threatening effects appears to be low, but serious adverse effects may be under-recognized or under-reported. Data from animal studies seem to support this possibility. One 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 percentage of premature deaths.

Steroid abuse has been associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including heart attacks and strokes, even in athletes younger than 30. Steroids contribute to the development of CVD, partly by changing the levels of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol in the blood. Steroids, particularly the oral types, increase the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and decrease the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). 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. If blood is prevented from reaching the heart, the result can be a heart attack. If blood is prevented from reaching the brain, the result can be a stroke.

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.

ACNE

One of the most known side-effects of steroid use is Bodybuilder’s Acne. The Lancet followed a 21-year bodybuilder’s quest to rid himself of resulting acne. Not only did the acne persist and warrant medical treatment…it left permanent scarring after doctors implemented every remedy plausible. View the photographs which transition from his competitive physique with moderate discoloration to ulcerated acne, and finally residual effects which are permanent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENLARGED HEART

Well known and most common is the side effect of an enlarged heart. Steroids will influence the muscle most used including the human heart; the constantly-pumping organ that is the most used muscle in the human body. Shown is a side-by-side comparison of the human heart as provided by National Geographic U.K. Much like an inflating balloon, the wall of an enlarging human heart does not also increase in thickness. Scar tissue builds around the heart which causes irregular electric charge which subsequently impedes proper pumping of blood (particularly in the lower chambers). Ultimately, the heart wall becomes more stretched, thinner, and quite vulnerable until it eventually rips open. Thus, heart attacks are the most common fatal side-effect of steroid use. Because the heart has failed, often a major stroke follows.