Steroid Abuse Isn't Just for Athletes

Abuse of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) isn't just a problem of top athletes -- it's a large-scale public health problem that affects some 3 million people who use them in the U.S., according to a new scientific statement from The Endocrine Society.

The majority of users are non-athlete weightlifters who are focused on looking leaner and more muscular, according to Shalender Bhasin, MD, director of the research program in men's health at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, the lead author of the statement.

PED use can lead to infertility, gynecomastia, sexual dysfunction, hair loss, acne, and testicular atrophy, and it has also been linked to risks of death and other complications including cardiovascular, psychiatric, metabolic, renal, and musculoskeletal disorders, Bhasin said.

The statement, published in Endocrine Reviews, notes that the most frequently used PEDs are anabolic drugs that increase muscle mass and reduce fat mass. Anabolic-androgenic steroids are the most heavily abused, followed by human growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor, stimulants, erythropoietin, diuretics, and thyroid hormone.

Those who develop a dependence on PEDs – which happens in about a third of those who take anabolic steroids -- tend to have many years of exposure and are at the greatest risk of complications, Bhasin said.

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