The Dangers of Blood Doping in Sports: An Overview

Blood doping is defined as the misuse of certain techniques and/or substances to increase the red blood cell mass (RBC), which allows the body to transport more oxygen to muscles and therefore increase stamina and performance in sports. Blood doping became popular in the 1970s among elite athletes and declined at the end of the 1980s with the introduction of recombinant erythropoietin. It includes three widely known substances or methods namely, injections of erythropoietin (EPO), blood transfusions, and injections of synthetic oxygen carriers. According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) blood doping is prohibited at all times under WADA’s List of Prohibited Substances and Methods. The aim of this search article was to present an overview of the available evidence which shows the side effects and the serious health risks for athletes who may use this method of doping to enhance their physical performance. I searched the available electronic databases in order to obtain the necessary data. The results of the search identified that blood doping can stop the heart during sleeping, increases blood pressure, and it can spread infectious diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. Also, blood doping raises the risk of blood clot and pulmonary or cerebral embolism. In addition, the use of blood doping as an ergogenic aid for athletic competition is unethical and unjustifiable.

Keywords: doping; blood transfusions; methods; doping in sports; Oxygen delivery