Cardiovascular Consequences of Continued Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use Identified

THURSDAY, Oct. 22 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Continued anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use is associated with sustained left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, LV systolic dysfunction, and worsening diastolic function, which is reversible after discontinuation of AAS, according to a study published online Oct. 12 in the European Heart Journal: Cardiovascular Imaging.Rang Abdullah, from the University of Oslo in Norway, and colleagues invited 101 AAS users and 71 nonusing weightlifting controls (WLCs) who participated in a previously published cohort (2017 to 2019) for a follow-up study. Current AAS users at baseline were classified as continued or discontinued users at follow-up, and those who were former users at baseline were classified as having continued abstinence or relapse at follow-up.Among those who re-enrolled, 70 were AAS users, including 35 and 15 continued or discontinued users and 14 and six who maintained abstinence and relapsed, respectively; 35 were WLCs. The researchers found persistent indexed LV mass (LVMI), reduced LV ejection fraction (LVEF), and worsened diastolic function for continued AAS users. Improved LVEF was seen for continued AAS users receiving antihypertensive therapy compared with untreated users. A reduction in LVMI and improved LVEF were seen for discontinued AAS users. These changes were comparable with WLCs at follow-up."Discontinuation of AAS use was associated with a reduction in heart muscle thickening and improvements in cardiac function, suggesting that at least some of these adverse effects may be reversible after stopping, and may even become comparable with the nonusers in the control group," coauthor Vibeke M. Almaas, M.D., Ph.D., from Oslo University Hospital in Norway, said in a statement.Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Cardiovascular Consequences of Continued Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use Identified

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