title: Erythropoietin and other blood-boosting methods.
abstract: Dating back to the earliest Olympics, athletes have been searching for a performance edge. Recombinant human erythropoietin was made commercially available in 1987 to treat various diseases associated with anemia. Within a few years, elite endurance athletes capitalized on its potential as an undetectable performance-enhancing agent. Although antidoping agencies have developed a test to detect its use, there are pitfalls. More importantly, athletes continue to add more sophisticated doping practices to their armamentarium, challenging regulatory agencies, putting their health at great risk, and tainting the spirit of fair competition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA. pommert@pediatrics.ohio-state.edu
authors.forename: Thomas L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Pommering
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D004300:Doping in Sports; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000502:physiology; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin; D010100:Oxygen