Blood Doping In Sports

A controversial topic in todays sports is the extent in which athletes will go to improve their performance. The use of supplements and steroid has been widely debated and discussed and athletes have now come to rely on blood doping (). Blood is a multidimensional and dynamic tissue that is based on cells but its ability to impact multiple aspect of life is greater than the sum of its cellular components. Blood can not only be studied as a molecule but even has a role in human interaction. In this case, blood plays a role in athletics. Muscle cells take oxygen and glucose and turn them into energy and training increases the ability of the body to deliver oxygen to muscle cells and increases muscle size. Doing this transport more efficiently

A homologous blood transfusion using another person’s blood may contain a virus which could be unknowingly passed on during the transfusions. If an athlete uses their own blood however, they can be putting themselves at a significant health risk if the procedure is not done correctly as many clinics are not properly equipped (). Blood must be handled and stored in a proper manner and if this care is not taken an athlete is subjected to potential harm (). Overall, the main side effects of blood doping include: the formation of blood clots, overloading of the circulatory system, kidney damage from allergic reactions and transmission of infectious diseases like HIV (). Further side effects include: metabolic shock, acute hemolytic reactions with kidney damage if incorrectly typed blood is used, delayed transfusion reactions resulting in fever and jaundice which can be potentially life-threating (). Another risk is that an unnaturally high red blood cell levels increase the risk of heart attacks, stroke and pulmonary or cerebral embolism (). The risks of EPO injections include hyperkalemia, high blood pressure and mild flu like symptoms