Decreased T1 Times and Impaired Myocardial Contractility in Anabolic Androgenic Steroids Users

Decreased Myocardial Native T1 Times and Impaired Myocardial Contractility in Young Anabolic Androgenic Steroids Users

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) abuse may have a toxic on myocardium that could lead to cardiac alterations. Clinical cases reported myocardial fibrosis in AAS users. However, recent studies did not find myocardial fibrosis in AAS users using T1-mapping technique. The aim of this study was to evaluate cardiac structure by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) with late-gadolinium enhancement (LGE), cardiac T1-mapping and extracellular volume (ECV). We also evaluated the cardiac contractility in AAS users.

Twenty strength-trained AAS users (AASU) age 29±5 yr, 20 age-matched strength-trained AAS nonusers (AASNU), and 10 sedentary controls (SC) were enrolled.

Cardiac structure was assessed by LGE, T1-mapping and ECV. Cardiac contractility was evaluated as cardiac strain by CMR (feature tracking) and echocardiography (speckle tracking)

Inclusion Criteria:

• Anabolic androgenic steroids users and Anabolic androgenic steroids nonusers groups had been involved in strength training for at least 2 years;
• Anabolic androgenic steroids users should be self-administering anabolic androgenic steroids in periodic cycles lasting from 8 to 12 weeks for at least 2 years with 2-4 cycles per year;
• All anabolic androgenic steroids users were on a cycle over the course of the study;
• Sedentary control group: sedentary men without cardiovascular disease.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Smoking;
• Alcohol consumption;
• Use of diuretics and/or antihypertensive medications;
• Liver and kidney disease