ReviewFrontiers in endocrinology2022
Anabolic-androgenic steroids: How do they work and what are the risks?
Review in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Duration-Dependent Cardiac Effects of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Use in Strength-Trained Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Echocardiography (Mount Kisco, N.Y.) · 2026Pooled it
- A Combination ofInternational journal of medical sciences · 2025Trial
- Effect of androgen abuse on sleep apnea in men: a prospective cohort study.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2026Observational
- Fragment-Resolved Carbon and Hydrogen Isotope Analysis of Urinary Steroids by Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry.Analytical chemistry · 2026Article
- Post-cycle therapy after androgen abuse: a narrative review of mechanisms, evidence, and clinical perspectives.Endocrine connections · 2026Article
- Review
- Chemical Characterization of an Emerging Designer Steroid, 6-Bromo-androst-4-en-3,17-dione, via NMR and LC-HRMS and GC-HRMS.Drug testing and analysis · 2026Article
- Skin manifestations of hyperandrogenism: an update.Hormones (Athens, Greece) · 2026Review
- Empagliflozin and platelet-rich plasma improve stanozolol induced cardiotoxicity by reducing NF-κB/P65, IL-1B and apoptosis.BMC pharmacology & toxicology · 2026Article
- Preventing Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Young Male Androgen Abusers.Clinical cardiology · 2026Review
- Pharmacological topics of interest for young people: misinformation on TikTok is common.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Article
- Confidence in Managing Use and Minimising Harm as Mediators of Quality of Life among Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Consumers in Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Settings.European addiction research · 2026Article
- Article
- Anabolic Androgenic Steroids: Emerging Use Disorder, Mechanisms of Action, and Clinical Considerations for Pharmacotherapy.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2026Article
- Microbiological contamination in androgens from the black market.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- Aging-related muscle mass decline in hip fracture patients across age groups.Annals of medicine · 2025Article
- Impact of Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Abuse on the Cardiovascular System: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Implications.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Adulteration of Sports Supplements with Anabolic Steroids-From Innocent Athlete to Vicious Cheater.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Steroid-Induced Thrombosis: A Comprehensive Analysis Using the FAERS Database.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids Induced Cardiomyopathy: A Narrative Review of the Literature.Biomedicines · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are a class of hormones that are widely abused for their muscle-building and strength-increasing properties in high, nontherapeutic, dosages. This review provides an up-to-date and comprehensive overview on how these hormones work and what side effects they might elicit. We discuss how AAS are absorbed into the circulation after intramuscular injection or oral ingestion and how they are subsequently transported to the tissues, where they will move into the extravascular compartment and diffuse into their target cells. Inside these cells, AAS can biotransform into different metabolites or bind to their cognate receptor: the androgen receptor. AAS and their metabolites can cause side effects such as acne vulgaris, hypertension, hepatotoxicity, dyslipidemia, testosterone deficiency, erectile dysfunction, gynecomastia, and cardiomyopathy. Where applicable, we mention treatment options and self-medication practices of AAS users to counteract these side effects. Clinicians may use this review as a guide for understanding how AAS use can impact health and to assist in patient education and, in some cases, the management of side effects.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.