Steroid Anabolic Drugs and Arterial Complications in an Athlete—A Case History

Abstract

Serious side effects and complications have been attributed to anabolic and androgenic steroids when used for medical reasons or when taken in sports in hopes of increasing strength and, hence, performance. The author presents a case of an athlete who experienced two metachronous arterial complications after taking these drugs: a cerebrovascular accident caused by a carotid artery thrombus that partially embolized to the brain and, later, a severe ischemic episode in a lower limb caused by a diffused distal arterial thrombosis. This patient represents the first reported case of vascular events in an otherwise healthy athlete taking androgens to increase his skeletal muscle mass.

Side Effects of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids: Pathological Findings and Structure–Activity Relationships

“…Besides cardiovascular complications, AAS have been associated with the occurrence of stroke (Akhter et al 1994;Chu et al 2001;Frankle et al 1988;Laroche 1990;Mochizuki and Richter 1988;Pálfi et al 1997). Striato-pallido-dentate calcinosis (Fahr's disease) has been described in an AAS abuser which could be associated with AAS-induced hypercalcemia (Büttner et al 2001;Sahraian et al 2004) (Fig.…”

Anabolic steroid abuse and toxicology

“…The first event was associated with a thrombus at the origin of the left internal carotid artery, followed three years ANABOLIC STEROIDS Aust NZ J Med 1992; 22 later by acute vascular occlusion involving the left lower extremity. 63 Other acute vascular events have been reported in patients receiving anabolic steroids for therapeutic reasons. These include occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery at a time when the dose had been considerably increased64 and thrombosis in the superior saggital sinus in three patients.…”

Delayed diagnosis of a cerebrovascular accident associated with anabolic steroid use

“…Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) are a rare, but significant risk of AAS and few reported cases of ischaemic stroke in AAS users exist 2–5. This case is the first, to our knowledge of ischaemic stroke in a nandrolone user.…”