Was there a direct toxic effect of the anabolic steroids on the kidneys, or was the damage mainly related to the bodybuilders’ great amount of muscle mass?
LH: We believe there is a direct toxic effect in addition to the simple overwork of glomeruli [the filtering units in the kidneys] that is caused by elevated body mass. We believe that because when you compare the bodybuilders to a control group of obese patients who also developed FSGS [focal segmental glomerulosclerosis], even though the bodybuilders had less body mass on average, they had a more severe form of kidney disease, leading us to think that the steroids themselves were toxic. JB: Would it be correct to say that the type of side effect you’re talking about is limited to high-dose, long-term anabolic steroid use? LH: I think that it is unlikely that short-term—months—usage would commonly produce this type of scarring. That is not to say that more limited or subtle renal damage couldn’t be caused by short-term use, but we just don’t have that data. JB: Based on your study, are athletes who use steroids in high doses long-term at a greater risk of kidney damage? LH: Yes, I thi
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