To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Anabolic Steroids Effective In Treating Muscle Loss And Fatigue URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/F46C2.htm Doctor's Guide April 13, 1999
CHICAGO, IL -- April 13, 1999 -- Anabolic steroids increase lean body mass and reduce fatigue for dialysis patients who experience malnutrition and an anabolic steroid combined with exercise offers positive results in treatment of HIV-associated weight loss, according to two articles in tomorrow's issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. Kirsten Johansen, M.D., and colleagues at San Francisco General Hospital studied 29 patients with kidney failure who were undergoing dialysis and showed evidence of malnutrition. Both malnutrition and reduced muscle mass are common in dialysis patients and have been shown to play a role in increased mortality. Patients in the double-blind placebo-controlled study received either the anabolic (protein-building) steroid nandrolone decanoate or a placebo by injection. They were tested for weight, lean body mass (LBM), fatigue, grip strength, walking and stair-climbing times and treadmill performance. The researchers found that during a six-month treatment period, subjects who received nandrolone gained an average of 5.7 lbs. more LBM than those who received placebo. This gain was accompanied by an increase in serum creatinine levels, suggesting that nandrolone caused increased muscle mass. The authors also found that subjects who received nandrolone had a significant reduction in their reported symptoms of fatigue and a decrease in the times required for walking and stair-climbing (test-times decreased from 36.5 to 32.7 seconds, while test-times for those in the placebo group increased from 38.7 to 42.1 seconds). The drug was generally well tolerated, with only a few patients experiencing minor adverse effects. "Because more than 30 percent of dialysis patients need assistance in performing the normal activities of daily living and because functional limitations are a major determinant of quality of life in dialysis patients, this intervention may have an important impact on the functional capabilities and quality of life of patients undergoing dialysis," the authors write. In an accompanying article, Alison Strawford, Ph.D., of the University of California at Berkeley and colleagues report on a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of the anabolic steroid oxandrolone to treat men who had HIV-associated weight loss and testosterone levels in the normal range. Restoration of LBM that patients lose in HIV infection has proved difficult. The 29 volunteers who took part in the study all received therapy that included replacement dosage testosterone injections (to equalise their testosterone levels) and supervised progressive resistance exercise (PRE). They were given either oxandrolone or placebo in tablet form. "The combination of PRE with a moderately supraphysiologic androgen [hormone that has a masculinising effect] regimen that included an anabolic steroid, oxandrolone, resulted in significantly greater increases in lean tissue and muscle strength than PRE with physiologic testosterone replacement alone in eugonadal [normal testosterone level], HIV-infected men with prior weight loss," the researchers write. "The use of protease inhibitor therapy did not affect the lean tissue response. "Perhaps the most important finding of this study is that extremely high dosages of androgens were not required for a significant beneficial interaction with PRE in men with HIV-related weight loss." At the beginning of the UCSF study, participants ranged in age from 40-42 years and in weight from about 151-161 pounds. Other characteristics included HIV-positive status, normal testosterone levels, and an average weight loss of 8-9 percent during the previous two years but stable weight during the preceding three months. Research findings from the oxandrolone and placebo groups, respectively, were: -- average weight gain, 14.7 pounds versus 9.3, and rate of lean body mass gain per week, 2.0 pounds versus 1.0. The oxandrolone group also showed an increase in muscle strength (chest, triceps, leg) over the placebo group by a measurement of .04 percent. Patients in both groups showed a similar decrease in body fat and increase in bone mineral content. Related Links: The Journal of the American Medical Association --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. 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