Doping what is epo

Finally, the illicit use of ESAs associates with multiple health risks that can be irreversible, and an essential facet of anti-doping work is to educate athletes of these risks. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the evolution of ESAs, the research and implementation of the available detection methods, and the side effects associated with the misuse of ESAs. Keywords: Athlete biological passport; Biomarkers; Doping detection; Erythropoietin; Omics technologies. Produced naturally by the kidneys, EPO is also available as a pharmaceutical.

EPO stimulates the production of red blood cells in bone marrow and regulates the concentration of red blood cells and haemoglobin in the blood. This is useful for athletes, since red blood cells shuttle oxygen to the cells, including muscle cells, enabling them to operate more effectively.

By injecting EPO, athletes aim to increase the number of red blood cells and, consequently, their aerobic capacity. Synthetic oxygen carriers, such as haemoglobin based oxygen carriers HBOCs or perflurocarbons PFCs , are purified proteins or chemicals having the ability to carry oxygen.

Synthetic oxygen carriers appear useful for emergency therapeutic purposes when human blood is not available, the risk of blood infection is high or when there is not enough time to properly cross-match donated blood with a recipient.

However, their misuse for doping purposes carries the risk of cardiovascular disease in addition to various serious side effects e. Homologous blood doping is the transfusion of blood that has been taken from another person with the same blood type.

Although the use of blood transfusions for blood doping dates back several decades, its recent resurgence is likely due to the introduction of efficient EPO detection methods. In order to further improve detection of abnormal blood profiles, WADA is leading the development of a strategy against doping in sport called the Athlete Passport , which is based on following athlete's biological variables over time.

Like the other forms of blood doping, transfusions have serious medical consequences. An athlete uses his or her own blood, can put themselves at significant health risks if the procedure is not done properly or if the blood is not handled or stored in a proper manner.

Some newer generation ESAs are designed to remain active in the blood for weeks rather than days to make it easier for less frequent administration when used by clinically ill patients; thus, the detection window of these substances is much longer. A test for EPO was first presented at the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia that was based on a complementary analysis using blood and urine matrix.

With this test, a blood screening took place first, followed by a urine test to confirm possible use of EPO. The EPO detection method is widely accepted by the scientific community and has gone through an extensive scientific validation process. Accredited anti-doping laboratories worldwide have also successfully used it for years. What is EPO? Is EPO prohibited in sport? Why is EPO prohibited?