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EPO in Sport

EPO in Sport The use of erythropoietin (EPO) by athletes in recent years has made the headlines of sports pages around the world. In this essay we will look at the evidence of EPO use in sport. What leads athletes to using it? We will also look at the advantages and disadvantages of its use for someone who wishes to do so. Athletes are continually seeking an added edge to attain better performances and results. Many are prepared to use pharmaceutical agents to achieve their goals. They don’t have to look far as there are numerous ergogenic drugs available to them. Recombinant EPO is one of the most prominent. The statistics of rhEPO production worldwide paints a grim picture. Research done by an Italian lawyer shows that only 20% of rhEPO production is required for medical purposes. 50% of all rhEPO production is sold officially leaving the other 50% to fall into the wrong hands. We must also wonder what happens to the other 80% not for medical use. Cycling has always been a haven for performance enhancing drug use. At the 1998 Tour de France, the entire Festina team were disqualified including 4 times “King of the Mountains,” Richard Virenque on the grounds of drug abuse. The team masseur Willy Voet was arrested at the French-Belgian border with vials of EPO. Ten members of the Festina team are currently on trial for drug related charges. The wife of Willy Voet testified that EPO among other drugs, “ended up taking more space In January of this year a police investigation was carried out at a biomedics research centre in Ferrara, Italy. The search of the clinic run by a Professor Francesco Conconi revealed extensive use of rhEPO by a number of athletes under his care. Names who appeared on the files included Irish legend Stephen Roche as well as many Italian house hold names. The evidence that rhEPO use does exist and is rampant not only in Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone secreted naturally, by the cells of the peritubular capillary endothelium of the kidneys but also to a very small extent in the liver. It is usually secreted in response to hypoxia in the renal arterial circulation. Its release stimulates bone marrow to increase its production of red blood cells (erythropoiesis), and facilitate an increase in the oxygen carrying capacity of blood. Red blood cells are limited in their ability to unload all their oxygen at a muscle site. By increasing the number of red blood cells you increase the amount of oxygen being delivered to muscles. Increased oxygen delivery to working muscles improves aerobic performance. Indirectly, increasing oxygen delivery allows for increased use of fat for Blood carries 20ml of oxygen per 100ml of blood in the arteries. At rest the body releases 4–5ml of oxygen per 100ml of blood. The rest remains bound to the hemoglobin. During intensive aerobic exercise about 15ml of oxygen per 100ml of blood can be released to the active muscles. The normal hematocrit (proportion of RBC) is between 40-54% in males and 37-47% in females. So a person with a hematocrit of 50% will have 50ml of red blood cells for every 100ml of blood. 100ml of blood contains 15 grams of hemoglobin. 1 gram of hemoglobin can carry 1.34ml of oxygen. Using rhEPO could raise hematocrit levels to say 55% in turn increasing the bloods hemoglobin content to 17.7 grams per 100ml. An increase of 3.6ml of oxygen per 100ml of blood. This result (20% increase) would translate into a serious advantage. Increasing RBC count will also increase blood volume somewhat. A greater blood volume means a larger cardiac output without increasing heart rate. Red blood cells are also important in the buffering of acid in the muscles. Larger amounts of RBC enable more lactic acid to be buffered. The foremost threat of rhEPO use is boosting hematocrit levels above 50%. In doing this you replicate the disease state of polycythaemia, which increases blood viscosity, clogging up arteries, thus increasing the work of the heart. Coupling this state with dehydration which is common in endurance sports could result in cardiac arrest or pulmonary embolism. The deaths of 20 world-class cyclists, some in their sleep, have been attributed to rhEPO misuse in recent years. Considering all the gains of rhEPO, its use still presents too great a risk. At the Olympic Games this year a combined blood and urine test was introduced for the first time. The tests were heralded as a breakthrough, a new era in the fight against drugs in sport. No one at the Games tested positive. Therefore no one at the Games used rhEPO! Unlikely. It is believed the users are 10 years ahead of the testers. However these tests will now make it difficult to mask rhEPO when used throughout the season. Advice must be given to athletes about the dangers of rhEPO use. Alternative such as altitude training must be considered to avert athletes away from its use. Many athletes desperate to become faster and stronger will inevitably cheat. So is Bibliography:

Word Count: 862