title: Sudden cardiac arrest following ventricular fibrillation attributed to anabolic steroid use in an adolescent.
abstract: Anabolic androgenic steroids are synthetic derivatives of testosterone that promote the growth of skeletal muscles and have many recognised cardiovascular effects. We report the clinical presentation and pathological findings of an adolescent male whose sudden cardiac arrest following ventricular fibrillation was attributed to anabolic androgenic steroid use. The age of our patient reflects the usage of anabolic androgenic steroids among younger athletes and highlights the need for increased awareness among practitioners.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Pediatrics,St. Louis Children's Hospital,St. Louis,Missouri,United States of America.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lichtenfeld
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Pediatrics,Division of Cardiology,Lurie Children's Hospital,Chicago,Illinois,United States of America.
authors.forename: Barbara J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Deal
authors.affiliation: 3Midwestern University,Downers Grove,Illinois,United States of America.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Crawford
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D056352:Athletes; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D045165:Testosterone Congeners / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D045165:Testosterone Congeners
keywords: Anabolic androgenic steroids; cardiac arrest; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; ventricular fibrillation