Long-term application of anabolic steroids may cause grave heart problems

Prolonged administration of anabolic steroids can cause different heart problems. It enhances dangers related to heart failure. These statements have been made due to a study that has been written in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal.
Anabolic-androgenic steroids work like testosterone that occurs naturally and which is responsible for development of male sex features.
The leader of the research Aaron L. Baggish claims that in addition to the factor that anabolic steroids are illicit, they are linked with unwanted consequences for health. He notices that it is the first time, when negative influence of long-term usage of steroids on heart is clearly recognized.
The research manifested that the left ventricle in consumers of steroids was essentially weaker during contraction than in those that didn’t administer steroids.
A left ventricle which acts appropriately pumps out 55-70 % of the blood that fills the heart.
 12 consumers of steroids were implicated in the study. It was displayed that the left ventricles of 83 % these steroid users acted improperly: they pumped out less than 55 % of the blood.   Among the examined non-users only one person experienced disorders connected with the function of the left ventricle.
The study demonstrated that ventricle relaxation among steroid users was reduced by circa half. It was 0, 93 among steroids users; 1, 80 – among non-steroid users. The structure of the left ventricle was the same in both groups: steroid users and non-users.
It was applied the technique “Doppler echocardiography” for evaluation of function and structure of the left ventricle. This test uses ultrasound for creation of moving pictures of the heart and its blood flow.
 The group of steroid users included 12 weightlifters at the age of about 40 that confirmed that they administered about 675 mg of steroids weekly for 9 years. Another group included weightlifters that didn’t administer steroids. Both groups had the same physical activity and similar risks related to heart diseases. But they had differences in body weight and muscle size. The steroid users had more muscular appearance.
Although small number of steroid users has been included in the study, the results have shown that there is a close connection between usage of steroids and heart impairment.
The specialists decided to conduct further studies in order to support the findings.
Baggish and his co-investigators suggest that people will recognize that administration of steroids can cause heart troubles and various unexplained heart dysfunctions in young persons.