Nandrolone, or 19-Nortestosterone, is one of the most widely used synthetic anabolic-androgenic steroids by athletes who need power and muscle strength. It is derived from testosterone, the main sex hormone produced in man. A small chemical modification makes nandrolone more anabolic than androgenic and accounts for its widespread misuse in sport. Testosterone has an anabolic:androgenic ratio o...

Muscle wasting is associated with poor prognosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Exercise stimulates muscle recovery, but its efficacy is variable, depending on the clinical condition and medical treatment. Systemic glucocorticoids, commonly administered in high doses during acute disease exacerbations or as maintenance treatment in end-stage disease, are known to contribute to...

Invasive fungal rhinosinusitis is a potentially fatal infection that affects immunocompromised patients. Prognosis is generally poor despite aggressive medical and surgical treatments. We present the first reported case of invasive fungal sinusitis in a healthy 18-year-old male athlete who was taking anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS). The effects of excessive AAS use on the immune system are n...

As the effects of anabolic steroids on left ventricular structure and function are unknown, we carried out clinical examination, 12 lead electrocardiography and echocardiography on a 23 year old male bodybuilder using these drugs. In this subject we found values of ECG voltage criteria, left ventricular-mass, posterior wall and interventricular septal thickness which exceeded those found in nor...

Four bodybuilders who injected anabolic steroids and ingested commercial protein (78-104 g/day) and creatine (15 g/day) products presented with serum creatinine levels between 229.84 and 335.92 µmol/L (2.6-3.8 mg/dL). Renal biopsies revealed acute tubular necrosis. Four weeks after discontinuing injections and supplements, serum creatinine was in the normal range and estimated glomerular filtra...

Injected corticosteroids can sometimes lead to a granulomatous reaction. This is apparently also true for anabolic steroids, which are often used by bodybuilders, although we have not found any histologic report on such a phenomenon. We report a case of a granulomatous reaction in a 30-year-old male bodybuilder having undergone anabolic steroid injections. Foreign bodies typical of steroids wer...

Hepatic abnormalities are described in three patients who received synthetic anabolic steroids. A child with Franconi's anaemia was treated for four years and at necropsy the liver showed generalized hyperplasia, hyperplastic nodules, and a benign hepatoma. Two adults received only three months' therapy with synthetic androgens; in one there was generalized hepatic hyperplasia and in the other ...