Non-medical anabolic-androgenic steroid consumption and hepatitis B and C virus infection in regular strength training practitioners

The aim of this study is to analyse the use of non-medical anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) among Brazilian regular strength training practitioners and evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among currently AAS injectors. The survey was addressed to 893 adult healthy males and regular strength-training practitioners from Northeast region of Brazil. Self-reported AAS users were additionally subjected to a physical exam, interview and blood sample collection, to analyse the presence of HBV and HCV. The results showed that punctual prevalence of AAS user was estimated in 16.5% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 14.1 to 19.1). The doses of testosterone and/or its derivatives injected in the last cycle ranged from 200 to 7,200 mg, and AAS vials were purchased predominantly from the black-market. The prevalence of HBV was 0.7% (95% CI: 0.5 to 3.3) and HCV was 0.7% (95% CI: 0.5 to 3.3) without co-infection. Hepatitis infection was associated to elementary educational level (2/29; p<0.05) and steroid vials sharing (2/14; p<0.01). In this sense, AAS use are relevant problem among this population and AAS injectors should be informed and not be neglected in efforts to prevent steroid abuse and harm-reduction strategies to reduce blood-borne virus prevalence among drug injectors.62215981605Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia (FAPESB) [PPSUS0006/2007]IC grants from FAPESBFundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado da Bahia (FAPESB) [PPSUS0006/2007