Prolonged usage of steroids may lead to serious heart problems

Prolonged usage of anabolic steroids may lead to various heart dysfunctions. It enhances dangers connected with heart failure. These statements have been made due to a research that has been written in Circulation: Heart Failure, an American Heart Association journal.
Anabolic-androgenic steroids act like testosterone which occurs naturally and which is responsible for development of male sex features.
The leader of the study Aaron L. Baggish claims that in addition to the factor that anabolic steroids are illegal, they are associated with negative effects for health. He notes that it is the first time, when negative influence of prolonged application of steroids on heart is clearly recognized.
The research displayed that the left ventricle in consumers of steroids was essentially weaker during contraction than in those that didn’t use steroids.
A left ventricle which works properly pumps out 55-70 % of the blood that fills the heart.
 12 users of steroids were implicated in the study. It was manifested 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 related to the function of the left ventricle.
The research displayed that ventricle relaxation among consumers of steroids was lowered by circa half. It was 0, 93 among users of steroids; 1, 80 – among non-users. The structure of the left ventricle was the same in both groups: steroid users and non-users.
It was applied the test “Doppler echocardiography” for evaluation of function and structure of the left ventricle. This technique uses ultrasound for creation of moving pictures of the heart and its blood flow.
 The group of steroid users included twelve weightlifters at the age of about 40 that claimed that they applied approximately 675 mg of steroids per week for 9 years. The other group included weightlifters that didn’t take steroids. Both groups had similar physical activity and the same risks related to heart diseases. But they had differences in body mass and muscle size. The consumers of steroids had more muscular appearance.
Although small number of steroid users has been included in the research, the results have demonstrated that there is a close connection between application of steroids and heart impairment.
The scientists decided to conduct further researches in order to support the results of this research.
Baggish and his colleagues suggest that people will comprehend that usage of steroids can cause heart problems and different unexplained heart disorders in young persons.