Efectos toxicos de los esteroides anabolizantes

Abstract

The massive consumption by youngs and sportsmen of anabolic-androgenic steroids has caused that this group of hormones derived from testosterone be considered in U.S.A. as 'abuse drugs'. The non therapeutic use of these substances at high doses without any type of medical control, causes the appearance of toxic effects in the customary consumers (sportsmen, bodybuilders or youngs that simply pursue an improvement of their physical aspect). There is a wide range of toxic effects that these can produce, emphasizing those in the liver, reproductive tissues, metabolic ones, striated muscle and psychological alterations. There are more than 120 of these compound availables in the market, but only 12 of them are used in human therapy, whereas the rest of them are mainly used as anabolic agents by young people and sportsmen (due to its capacity of increasing the muscular mass and to improve athletic performance). The used by sportsmen include those of oral administration (17α-alkylderivatives) and those of parenteral administration (testosterone esters or its derivatives), and usually several drugs are consumed simultaneously and at high dose. The consumption is forbidden by practically all the International sports federations being included in the doping substances list, and it's obligatory the determination of the parent compound or its metabolites in the antidoping controls. Although in our country there are no official figures about it's consumption is it supposed that, as occurs in other European countries, their utilization is very extended in spite of the fact that spanish laws establish that these substances can not be expended without medical recipe at the pharmacy offices. The existence of 'illicit' users of these substances at high dose involve health risks and it make necessary to control their toxic effects.