SynthesisBMJ open2022
Prevalence of anabolic steroid users seeking support from physicians: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Health consequences of anabolic steroids: a sexual-medicine perspective.International journal of impotence research · 2026Review
- The influence of self-esteem and self-efficacy on doping susceptibility and intention in amateur athletes and exercisers.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Article
- Muscle Dysmorphia, Obsessive-Compulsive Traits, and Anabolic Steroid Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Best Practice Guidance for Male Individuals Using Anabolic Androgenic Steroids in Recreational Sports Within Primary Care: Protocol for a Modified Delphi Consensus Study.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Managing risks and harms associated with the use of anabolic steroids: a qualitative study.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- Evaluation of implementing drug checking services for anabolic androgenic steroids in Switzerland: a pilot study.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- Predicting Anabolic Androgenic Steroid Doping among Specialized Health Care Patients with Elastic Net Regression Reveals Potential Laboratory Variables for "Patient Biological Passport".Sports medicine - open · 2025Article
- Clinician's guide to the management of azoospermia induced by exogenous testosterone or anabolic-androgenic steroids.Asian journal of andrology · 2025Review
- The sexual impact of androgenic anabolic steroid abuse an understudied phenomena.International journal of impotence research · 2025Review
- Article
- The use of post-cycle therapy is associated with reduced withdrawal symptoms from anabolic-androgenic steroid use: a survey of 470 men.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2023Article
- Female doping: observations from a data lake study in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Finland.BMC women's health · 2023Article
- Health service engagement, side effects and concerns among men with anabolic-androgenic steroid use: a cross-sectional Norwegian study.Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy · 2023Article
- The Uses of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids Among Athletes; Its Positive and Negative Aspects- A Literature Review.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo estimate the overall prevalence of androgenic-anabolic steroids (AAS) users seeking support from physicians. Secondary objectives are to compare this prevalence in different locations and among subpopulations of AAS users, and to discuss some of the factors that could have influenced the engagement of AAS users with physicians.
designSystematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science and SciELO were searched in January 2022. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Quantitative and qualitative studies reporting the number of AAS users who sought support from physicians, with no restrictions of language or time of publication. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the quality of studies, including publication bias. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to estimate the overall prevalence of AAS users seeking support from physicians, followed by pooled prevalence rates by studies' location and the subpopulation of AAS users.
resultsWe identified 36 studies published between 1988 and 2021, involving 10 101 AAS users. The estimated overall prevalence of AAS users seeking support from physicians is 37.12% (95% CI 29.71% to 44.52%). Higher prevalence rates were observed in studies from Australia (67.27%; 95% CI 42.29% to 87.25%) and among clients of the needle and syringe exchange programme (54.13%; 95% CI 36.41% to 71.84%). The lowest prevalence was observed among adolescent AAS users (17.27%; 95% CI 4.80% to 29.74%).
conclusionOur findings suggest that about one-third of AAS users seek support from physicians, with remarkable differences between locations and subpopulations of AAS users. Further studies should investigate the factors influencing the engagement of AAS users with physicians. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020177919.
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