New onset diabetes associated with bovine growth hormone and testosterone abuse in a young body builder.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Single patient case report
PubMed 21558143 · doi:10.1177/0960327111408152
What was done
A case report detailing the clinical presentation and management of a 33-year-old previously healthy male bodybuilder who presented to an emergency department with polydipsia, polyuria, nausea, headaches, blurry vision, and malaise after completing a cycle of anabolic-androgenic steroids consisting of intramuscular bovine growth hormone, trenbolone acetate, and testosterone.
What was found
Initial laboratory evaluation revealed a serum glucose level of 1166 mg/dL (64.8 mmol/L). The patient had a non-contributory family history and was diagnosed with new-onset diabetes, which was managed with intravenous fluids and insulin to restore metabolic balance.
Why it matters
This report illustrates that the abuse of supraphysiologic doses of anabolic steroids and veterinary growth hormone can precipitate acute, severe disruptions in glucose homeostasis and trigger new-onset diabetes in young, otherwise healthy individuals.
Limits
As a single-patient case report (n = 1), causality cannot be definitively proven. The co-ingestion of multiple illicit substances (bovine growth hormone, trenbolone, and testosterone) confounds the ability to isolate the specific agent responsible, and exact dosages, drug purity, or long-term metabolic follow-up were not detailed in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Excessive or long-term growth hormone abuse can cause insulin resistance and acromegalic bone changes to facial structure.