Arlyn G. Riskind
Director, Media Relations
Phone: (301) 941-0240
Email:ariskind@endo-society.org

Aaron Lohr
Manager, Media Relations
Phone: (240) 482-1380
Email: alohr@endo-society.org

  Chevy Chase, MD (February 10, 2009)—  In light of baseball great Alex Rodriguez’s admission that he took performance-enhancing drugs while playing for the Texas Rangers during a three-year period beginning in 2001, The Endocrine Society has re-issued its position statement on steroid abuse launched this past summer, 2008. 
 
  The Endocrine Society calls for enhanced detection of steroid abuse among professional and amateur athletes, and greater education to deter teenagers and others from putting their health in jeopardy through steroid doping.  The statement also supports the appropriate clinical use of anabolic steroids.
 
  In a statement released in June 2008, Society Past-President Margaret Shupnik said, “The Endocrine Society strongly believes that anabolic steroids and all other hormones should be prescribed and administered only when medically necessary, and only by doctors specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of hormone disorders.  Safety is our foremost concern, and the public must be aware that there are very serious consequences associated with steroid abuse.”
 
  The Society stresses that there is a definitive line between abuse and appropriate clinical use such as the treatment of syndromes of hormone deficiency and HIV/AIDS wasting with anabolic steroids. 
 
  WHO:    Dr. Alan Rogol
               Representative of the Endocrine Society (TES)
               Representative of the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society 
               Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, University of Virginia
               Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Riley Hospital for Children, 
               Indiana University School of Medicine 

WHAT:    Dr. Rogol, a leading endocrinologist, is available to discuss the use,
                 misuse and abuse of anabolic steroids

CONTACT:    To schedule an interview with Dr. Rogol, please contact
                        Arlyn G. Riskind at ariskind@endo-society.org or 301-941-0240

 

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Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 14,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 80 countries. Together, these members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Md. To learn more about the Society, and the field of endocrinology, visit our web site at www.endo-society.org.