Anabolic steroid abuse and cardiac sudden death: a pathologic study

Androgenic anabolic steroids (AAS) used for improving physical performance have been considered responsible for acute myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death.

To establish the relationship between AAS and cardiac death.

Case report.

Two young, healthy, male bodybuilders using AAS.

Pathologic cardiac findings associated with AAS ingestion.

The autopsy revealed normal coronary arteries. In one case, we documented a typical infarct with a histologic age of 2 weeks. A segmentation of myocardial cells at the intercalated disc level was observed in the noninfarcted region. This segmentation was the only anomaly detected in the second case. No other pathologic findings in the heart or other organs were found. Urine in both subjects contained the metabolites of nortestosterone and stanozolol.

A myocardial infarct without vascular lesions is rare. To our knowledge, its association with AAS use, bodybuilding, or both lacks any evidence of a cause-effect relationship. The histologic findings in our 2 cases and in the few others reported in medical literature are nonspecific and do not prove the cardiac toxicity of AAS. A better understanding of AAS action on the neurogenic control of the cardiac function in relation to regional myocardial contraction and vascular regulation is required.