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Potential risk for developing severe COVID-19 disease among anabolic steroid users
Flavio Cadegiani1,2, Erica M Lin3, Andy Goren4
1Adrenal and Hypertension Unit, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (EPM/UNIFESP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
BMJ Case Reports
|February 27, 2021
Summary
Anabolic steroid use may worsen COVID-19 severity. A case study showed a patient on oxandrolone experienced severe symptoms, but improved after proxalutamide treatment.
Area of Science:
- Internal Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use is prevalent among bodybuilders.
- COVID-19 can present with varying severity, even in young, healthy individuals.
Observation:
- A 28-year-old male bodybuilder using oxandrolone (40 mg/day) presented with severe COVID-19 symptoms.
- Symptoms rapidly worsened over 4 days despite being otherwise healthy.
Findings:
- The patient received a single 600 mg dose of proxalutamide, a novel antiandrogen, as part of an experimental treatment.
- Within 24 hours, significant improvement in COVID-19 symptoms and disease severity markers was observed.
Implications:
- This case is the first to suggest a potential link between anabolic steroid use and increased COVID-19 severity.
- Further research is warranted to explore the role of androgens in COVID-19 pathogenesis and treatment.
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