Table 1.
Baseline characteristics, AAS cycle characteristics and details of drug abuse of the 31 subjects of the HAARLEM study included for echocardiography.
| General | n (%), mean (SD, ranges) |
|---|---|
| Male | 31 (100%) |
| Age | 33 (±8.4; 20–67) |
| Height (cm) | 182 (±6.8; 171–193) |
| Weight (kg) | 88.2 (±10.5; 71–118) |
| Body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) | 26.6 (±2.2; 23.1–32.7) |
| Previous AAS use | 27 (87%) |
| Current sport | n (%) |
| Fitness/bodybuilding | 31 (100%) |
| Competitive bodybuilding | 3 (10%) |
| Weight lifting | 1 (3%) |
| Combat sports (e.g., kickboxing, karate, judo) | 12 (39%) |
| Fitness schedule at baseline | Mean (SD, ranges) |
| Number of training sessions (/week) | 4 (±1.1; 1–7) |
| Duration of training sessions (minutes) | 73 (±15; 60–105) |
| Time weekly spent at gym (minutes) | 307 (±110; 80–630) |
| Cycle characteristics | n (%), median (ranges) |
| Cycle length (weeks) | 16 (±8.0, 7–42) |
| Number of AAS | 4 (1–11) |
| Average weekly dose (mg)* | 904 (250–3,382) |
| Cumulative dose (mg)* | 13.200 (3.000–74,410) |
| Post-cycle therapy | 26 (84%) |
| Use of other PIEDs during cycle | n (%) |
| Creatine | 9 (29%) |
| Growth hormone | 8 (26%) |
| Levothyroxine | 4 (13%) |
| hCG | 3 (10%) |
| Insulin | 2 (6%) |
| Tamoxifen | 6 (19%) |
| Aromatase inhibitors (anastrozole, exemestane) | 9 (29%) |
| Drug use during study period | |
| Nicotine | 13 (42%) |
| Alcohol | 21 (68%) |
| Ecstasy/amphetamines | 13 (42%) |
| Cocaine | 11 (35%) |
| Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) | 11 (35%) |
| Cannabis | 10 (32%) |
| Other (3-FMP, ketamine, 2-CB) | 7 (23%) |
| ≥3 drugs (except nicotine and alcohol) | 8 (26%) |
*
Cumulative dose is the sum of all different AAS compounds used in a cycle in mg. For practical purposes, all types of AAS were regarded as having a 1 to 1 equivalence with testosterone (e.g., 1 mg testosterone = 1 mg nandrolone = 1 mg stanozolol). The average weekly dose is calculated by dividing the cumulative dose by cycle length in weeks.