Not-Approved Weight Gain Supplements as a Cause of AVN: A Cautionary Report

Introduction: Avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head is a leading cause of end-stage joint disease in the young population that can conduct patients to total hip replacement in early life. There are various risk factors including, trauma, corticosteroids, thrombosis, hypertension, and alcohol. There is a growing number of femoral head AVN patients with a history of self-medication with herbal supplement used for weight gain in our country. In the present study, we want to demonstrate the prevalence of not-approved weight gain supplement usage in femoral head AVN. Method: An observational and cross-sectional study was run to estimate the prevalence of weight gain supplement usage in osteonecrosis patients in Imam Khomeini hospital, Tehran, Iran from January 2012 to January 2018. The descriptive and mean tests were applied to estimate descriptive information and prevalence in SPSS® statistical software version 24. Result: Of 207 AVN patients had been visited in our institution, there are 115 male and 92 female. Forty-four patients (20.95%) had a history of using not-approved weight gain supplements, and there had no other risk factors of femoral head osteonecrosis. Conclusion: In conclusion, based on the present study, not-approved weight gain supplements can be a risk factor for avascular necrosis of femoral head, and it is necessary to have an educational program to alert young population about side effects of Not-approved supplements for weight gain. Keywords: Weight Gain Supplement, AVN, Femoral Head, Herbal Drug Level of evidence: Level 3