According to a recently concluded review, HIV patients who are treated with anabolic steroids may experience modest gains in body weight and muscle mass when treated for AIDS wasting.
This review published in an issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration.
It was remarked by review lead author Karen Johns, a Medical Assessment Officer from the Agency Health Canada that the degree of weight gain due to anabolic steroid treatment can be relevant in clinical terms.
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 is noteworthy to note here that AIDS wasting is often the primary reason behind weight loss in patients with HIV that results in muscle loss. The wasting stems from lost ability of the human body in facilitating muscle growth and even from low levels of testosterone in the body.
