Steroids (스테로이드)

Drugs referred to as steroids can be classfied into three categories; corticosteroids, female hormones, and male hormones.

Corticosteroids are widely prescribed by doctors and sold over the counter to help control inflammation in the body, and the female hormones estrogen and progesterone are used for hormone replacement and birth control medications.

 

In contrast, male hormones of the anabolic(동화작용) type are often manufactured illegally and used to produce and maintain muscle in athlets. Anabolic steroids are synthetic(합성의) hormones that mimic the chemical structure of testosterone ― a natural hormone responsible for masculine characteristics such as increased muscle mass, facial hair growth, and a deep voice.

 

These medications were developed in the late 1930s to treat hypogonadism, a condition in which a boy's testes do not produce enough testosterone for normal growth and sexual development. Steroids are still used today to treat delayed puberty, some types of impotence, and complications of HIV infection or other diseases. But shortly after the discovery of steroids, scientists ascertained that these substances could also cause muscle tissue to grow. Soon, bodybuilders and weight lifters began abusing the drugs.

 

In the United States, it is illegal to take anabolic steroids without a prescription. Drugs such as androstenedione, or andro, however, are still commonly used by athlets, from football players to cyclists. Androstenedione can be taken orally, injected into the muscle, or rubbed onto the skin in the form of gels or creams.

 

Overuse of steroids, however, can lead to unwanted side effects. Steroids can prompt testosterone to build to dangerous levels in the body, causing impotence, reduced testicle size, acne, baldness, and breast growth in men. Women who use steroids may have their menstrual cycles disrupted, develop excessive facial(표정?) and body hair and a deeper voice, and experience long-term fetrility problems.

 

Steroids can also stunt growth in teenagers by causing bones to mature too fast and stop growing at an early age. Use of steroids has been linked to liver tumors, abnormal enlargement of the heart muscle, blood abnormalities that contribute to heart disease, and violent, aggressive behavior known as 'roid rage.

 

 

Some research has shown that 5 percent of teenage boys and 2.5 percent of teen girls have used some form of anabolic steroids.