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Cardiovascular Effects of Performance-Enhancing Drugs
André La Gerche1, Maria J Brosnan2
1From Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (A.L.G., M.J.B.); St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia (A.L.G., M.J.B.); and Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Leuven, Belgium (A.L.G.). andre.agerche@bakeridi.edu.au.
Circulation
|December 29, 2016
Summary
Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) pose health risks beyond direct cardiovascular effects, including exercise-induced arrhythmias. Athletes may face dangers from novel, unmonitored agents before regulatory awareness.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Cardiology
Background:
- Competitive sports offer health benefits but face threats from performance-enhancing agents.
- Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) carry significant health risks and create unfair advantages.
- Beyond direct cardiovascular effects, PEDs may indirectly cause exercise-induced arrhythmias by enabling athletes to exceed physiological limits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the known health effects of PEDs.
- To highlight the emerging threat of novel, unrecognized performance-enhancing agents.
- To discuss the potential for exercise-induced arrhythmias linked to PED use.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing research on PEDs and their health effects.
- Analysis of the indirect consequences of PEDs on athletic performance and cardiac health.
- Discussion of the time lag between athlete use of novel agents and regulatory detection.
Main Results:
- PEDs can directly impact the cardiovascular system (myocardium, vasculature, metabolism).
- Indirect effects of PEDs may lead to exercise-induced arrhythmias by pushing athletes beyond safe physiological boundaries.
- Athletes often experiment with novel agents lacking efficacy and safety data, posing unmonitored risks.
Conclusions:
- The covert use of unrecognized performance-enhancing agents represents a significant health threat in sports.
- The delay in regulatory awareness of new agents creates a window for athletes to use them with relative impunity.
- Addressing PED abuse may require considering all off-label drug use as illegal.
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