Performance Enhancement Drugs: EPO


According to WebMD (n.a.), erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone that is produced by the kidneys which helps to regulate the production of red blood cells (WebMD). In athletics, this hormone is injected in order to increase blood hemoglobin which in theory increases the athletes VO2 max (Hardman, Brouwer, Connes, Kuipers, Baskurt 2014). With an increased VO2 Max the athlete is able to, theoretically, increase stamina and enhance their performance in long distance events (WebMD).

EPO is having also been used by clinical physicians in order to increase the number of red blood cells in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy (Dimyati, Yusuf, Benny, Maman, Ahmad 2015). According to research, twenty- five percent of cancer patients who received 21 days of chemotherapy developed anemia (Dimyati, Yusuf, Benny, Maman, Ahmad 2015). Anemia is a condition in which the patient develops a lower count of red blood cells (Dimyati, Yusuf, Benny, Maman, Ahmad 2015). Anemia in cancer patients can be caused by cancer itself, blood loss from surgery or chemotherapy (Dimyati, Yusuf, Benny, Maman, Ahmad 2015) . EPO is used in order to increase the production of hemoglobin in the infected patient (Dimyati, Yusuf, Benny, Maman, Ahmad 2015).

However, EPO should not be used in healthy individuals. The use of EPO in healthy individuals may cause cardiovascular disease such as hypertension and heart failure (Hardman, Brouwer, Connes, Kuipers, Baskurt 2014). This is due to the increased viscosity of the blood which is a result of increasing the number of red blood cells which is a side effect of EPO usage (Hardman, Brouwer, Connes, Kuipers, Baskurt 2014).

In theory, EPO can help improve overall performance in endurance athletes. However, the dangers of EPO use outweigh the positive effects making it dangerous for usage of healthy athletes. EPO can be safely used in a clinical setting to help correct anemia, kidney disease and treat patients with HIV (Dimyati, Yusuf, Benny, Maman, Ahmad 2015). There is not enough evidence to prove that the use of EPO can indeed improve overall performance in endurance athletes.

Reference

Dimyati, A., Yusuf, H., Benny, I., Maman, A., & Ahmad, F. (2015). STRATEGY FOR THE USE OF     ERYTHROPOETIN ALPHA TO MAINTAIN HEMOGLOBIN LEVEL IN BREAST CANCER PATIENT TREATED WITH ANTHRACYCLINE-BASE OF ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY. International Journal Of Integrated Health Sciences, Vol 1, Iss 1, Pp 8-12 (2015), (1), 8. doi:10.15850/ijihs.v1n1.102


Hardeman, M., Alexy, T., Brouwer, B., Connes, P., Jung, F., Kuipers, H., & Baskurt, O. K. (2014). EPO or PlacEPO? Science versus Practical ExperiencePanel discussion on efficacy of erythropoetin in improving performance. Biorheology, 51(2), 83. doi:10.3233/BIR-140655

WADA (n.a.) PEPTIDE HORMONES, GROWTH FACTORS, RELATED SUBSTANCES AND MIMETICS. PROHIBITED AT ALL TIMES. https://www.wada-ama.org/en/prohibited-list/prohibited-at-all-times/peptide-hormones-growth-factors-related-substances-and-mimetics

WebMD (n.a.) Blood Doping. Fitness and Exercise. http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/blood-doping#1




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