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HIV Patients on anabolic steroids gain easy weight and muscle mass

HIV Patients on anabolic steroids gain easy weight and muscle mass According to findings brought to the notice by a new review, people with HIV and treated with anabolic steroids for preventing AIDS wasting can experience modest gains in terms of muscle mass and body weight. The magnitude of weight gain can be termed as relevant in clinical terms as per lead author Karen Johns, a medical assessment officer from the agency Health Canada.

The review appeared in an issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research.

From News-Medical.Net:

Anabolic steroids are synthetic substances similar to the male sex hormone testosterone that promote growth of skeletal muscle and the development of male sexual characteristics.

Although most recently in the news for their misuse by professional athletes, anabolic steroids have legitimate medical application for men with low testosterone and people with certain types of anemia. Two anabolic steroids available in the United States, nandrolone decanoate and oxandrolone, have been used to help increase weight and muscle mass in small studies of people with wasting.

Conversely, anabolic steroid use has been associated with increased rates of HIV in those who share needles or use nonsterile needles when they inject steroids.

In the review studies, anabolic steroids were administered to patients either orally or by injection. The main side effects were mild and included abnormal liver function tests; acne; mild increase in body hair; breast tenderness; increased libido, aggressiveness and irritability; and mood swings — all common side effect of anabolic steroid use.

It was remarked by the review authors that more studies are required for ascertaining if weight gains lead to enhanced physical functioning and life quality in addition to improvement of survival rate.