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DOPING AND PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUG USE IN ATHLETES LIVING IN
SIVAS, MID-ANATOLIA: A BRIEF REPORT
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Levent
Özdemir 1,
Naim Nur1, Ihsan Bagcivan2, Okay Bulut3,
Haldun Sümer1 and Gündüz Tezeren3 |
1Department
of Public Health, 2Department of Pharmacology, and 3Department
of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas,
Turkey
| Received |
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21 March 2005 |
| Accepted |
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11
May 2005 |
| Published |
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01
September 2005 |
©
Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2005) 4, 248 - 252
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| ABSTRACT |
| The
aim of this study was to determine the rate of doping and performance
enhancing drug use in athletes in Sivas, Turkey, and to analyze the
main reasons for the use. This was a cross-sectional study based on
a self-report questionnaire. The subjects filled the questionnaires
under the supervision of the investigators during interviews. This
questionnaire included 24 items describing the population in terms
of demographics, sport practice, doping in sport and substance use.
Moreover, we assessed the frequency of doping drug use. The number
of respondents was 883, of which 433 athletes and 450 healthy non-athletes
(control group). The mean age of the total volunteers was 21.8 ± 3.7
yrs. The male and female ratios were 78.2% and 21.8% respectively.
Doping and performance enhancing drug usage rate was 8.0% (71cases
in 883 subjects). Doping drug use among the athletes was significantly
(p < 0.05) higher (14.5%) compared with the non-athletes (1.8%).
The agents used were anabolic steroids in 60.5%, l-carnitene in 12.7%,
erythropoietin in 5.4%, Na-bicarbonate in 11.3% and creatinine in
14.1% of 71 cases. The reasons for doping use were to have a better
body condition in 34 cases (47.9%) and to solve weight (gaining or
loosing) problems in 8 (11.3%) cases. Since the potential side effects
of doping drugs are not satisfactorily familiar to the most users,
the education of athletes on the matter must be a top priority.
KEY
WORDS: Drug abuse, sports.
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