subject: What Steroids Will Do To Your Liver [print this page] The liver is one of the main organs of the body that really bear the brunt of steroid use. The level to nwhich this organ is damaged is dependent on the type of steroid that is used, how long the steroid has been used, and the amount of steroid that has been used. Any time that the liver has undergone damage or stress there are certain chemicals including SGPT and SGOT that are noticed in the bloodstream. Tests that measure the liver function use the measurements of these chemicals as signals to indicate that the liver is under stress.
The levels of the aforesaid chemicals are often double in steroid users as compared to the non-users. The levels of these chemicals in the blood often return to the normal levels if the consumption of steroids is halted. The two chemicals that are mentioned above are generated when the liver is incurring injury.
Once the threat of injury is mitigated the chemicals are no longer discharged into the blood. It is unclear if the liver tissue that is damaged in the injury will be repaired. It is therefore safe to realize that the damage that has been felt may continue to persist long after the halt in secretion of the SGOT and SGPT chemicals into the blood.
The oral steroid preparations are much more difficult for the liver to break down and metabolize as compared to the injectable form. Many liver cells are damaged and destroyed during the process of trying to fragment the oral steroids. In the event that there is a continued use of the oral steroids, the liver starts to experience change in its structure
The liver is also unable to execute its excretory roles at an optimal level. One of the most extreme symptoms of liver damage is known as 'peliosis hepatitis'. In this condition, the liver is filled with blood sacs as a result of the steroid use. This condition is rare but it is not confined to whether or not the user has been on steroids for prolonged periods.
The injectable steroids on the other hand are not known to present the body with as much complications. There is a risk though that a non-sterile preparation may be the perfect conduit for introducing viruses and bacteria beyond the skin and into the bloodstream. The use of unclean needles and coming to contact with blood that is contaminated may bring about infectious hepatitis which is a liver disease. This is a serious disease that should be avoided at all costs.
Dirty needles and affected blood may also be the cause for HIV/AIDS and other STDs.
Anabolic steroids are known to be tumor promoters i.e. they are seen to support tumor growth. Steroids facilitate the growth of some cells into structures called noodles. These resemble tumors. In case the steroid user stops usage the noodles may disappear but if not they develop into full scale tumors. Steroids have also been known to cause the development of breasts in males, a condition that is known as gynecomastia.
by: Dane Fletcher
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
