Use of Androgenic Anabolic Steroids by Athletes

To the Editor.— For the past two decades there has been a tendency for some athletes to use androgenic anabolic steroids as an adjunct to weight training, exercise, and diet programs to improve strength and physique. This use has been highlighted by media attention of the disqualification of athletes from the Pan-American Games, refusal of some athletes to undergo testing for possible steroid use, and concerns regarding the use of these drugs in the Olympic games. The recent emphasis on physical fitness has created a great interest in body building and weight lifting, and we recently saw a 17-year-old wrestler with cholestatic jaundice caused by use of anabolic steroids. To obtain a notion of the prevalence of this practice, two of us (M.A.F. and G.J.C.) visited several gymnasiums in the metropolitan Chicago area. The first weight room was at a YMCA. Of the 7,800 total members, approximately 500 men and