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In medical practice, EPO injections are given to stimulate the production of red blood cells. For example, a synthetic EPO can be used to treat patients with anemia related to chronic or end-stage kidney disease.

Athletes using EPO do so to encourage their bodies to produce higher than normal amounts of red blood cells to enhance performance.

Synthetic oxygen carriers. These are chemicals that have the ability to carry oxygen. Examples are:

HBOCs (hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers)

PFCs (perfluorocarbons)

Athletes use synthetic oxygen carriers to achieve the same performance-enhancing effects of other types of blood doping. Synthetic oxygen carriers have a legitimate medical use as emergency therapy. It is used when a patient needs a blood transfusion but: human blood is not available, there is a high risk of blood infection, or there isn’t enough time to find the proper match of blood type.

The Risks of Blood Doping

By increasing the number of red blood cells, blood doping causes the blood to thicken. This thickening forces the heart to work harder than normal to pump blood throughout the body. As a result, blood doping raises the risk of:

  • Blood clot
  • Heart attack
  • Stroke

An estimated 20 cyclists are believed to have died as a result of blood doping over the past 25 years. Doping via transfusion carries additional risks.

Tainted blood can spread infectious diseases such as:

  • HIV
  • Hepatitis B
  • Hepatitis C

Over time, repeated blood transfusions can cause a dangerous buildup of iron in the body. Improperly stored blood and improperly administered transfusions can cause acute lung injury and bacterial infection.

The risks of EPO injections include:

  • Hyperkalemia (potentially dangerous elevation of plasma potassium levels in the body)
  • High blood pressure
  • Mild flu-like symptoms

Athletes who use synthetic oxygen carriers have an increased risk of:

  • Heart disease
  • Stroke
  • Heart attack
  • blood clot

The Health Risks Of Doping  was originally published on blackdoctor.org

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