Toxicological findings and manner of death in autopsied users of anabolic androgenic steroids

• Published in: Drug and alcohol dependence Vol. 81; no. 3; pp. 241 - 249
• Main Authors: Petersson, Anna, Garle, Mats, Holmgren, Per, Druid, Henrik, Krantz, Peter, Thiblin, Ingemar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 2006; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anabolic Agents; Anabolic androgenic steroids; Anabolic steroids; Androgenic steroids; Androgens; Autopsy; Beroendelära; Biological and medical sciences; Body Mass Index; Death; Drug addiction; Female; Health Sciences; Homicide - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Hälsovetenskap; Illegal drugs; Male; Medical and Health Sciences; Medical sciences; MEDICIN; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; MEDICINE; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychotropic drugs; Substance Abuse; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - mortality; Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology/mortality; Toxicology; Toxicology - methods; Violent death; Anabolic androgenic steroids; Illegal drugs; Death; Autopsy; Human; Steroid; Drug addiction; User; Addiction; Use; Anabolic agent; Psychiatry; Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support
• ISSN: 0376-8716; 1879-0046; 1879-0046
• DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2005.07.003

With the aim to characterize patterns in toxicological profile and manner of death in deceased users of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), a retrospective autopsy protocol study of 52 deceased users of AAS was undertaken. The AAS users were compared to 68 deceased users of amphetamine and/or heroin who were consecutively tested and found to be negative for AAS.
Use of AAS was in the majority of cases (79%) associated with concomitant use of psychotropic substances. AAS-related deaths differed in several respects from deaths among users of heroin or amphetamine, most strikingly with regard to: (a) the median age at death, which was significantly lower for AAS users (24.5 years) than for users of heroin and/or amphetamine (34 and 40 years, respectively); (b) the manner of death, with AAS users dying significantly more often from homicide or suicide than users of other drugs; and (c) the body mass index (BMI), with AAS users exhibiting significantly higher BMI than users of other drugs.
These results support the earlier reported association between use of AAS and use of other psychoactive substances. In addition, the data suggest that AAS users are more likely to become involved in incidents leading to violent death and have a higher risk of dying at a younger age than users of other drugs.