Anabolic androgenic steroids can cause hepatotoxicity which can be severe.
Synonym: drug-induced liver injury, DILI
Anabolic androgenic steroids can cause:
(1) hepatocellular injury with elevated ALT
(2) cholestatic injury with jaundice
The elevation in serum total bilirubin can be quite high (over 20 times the upper limit of normal).
The elevation of serum ALT tends to be greater for hepatocellular injury.
The elevation of serum alkaline phosphatase is similar for both hepatocellular and cholestatic patterns of injury and was comparable other causes of DILI.
A patient with a serum total bilirubin greater than 21.5 times the upper limit of normal is at increased risk for acute kidney injury (AKI), with serum creatinine >= 1.5 mg/dL in patients without a history of pre-existing kidney disease.
Long-term abuse can result in hepatocellular adenomas or hepatocellular carcinoma.
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