Tragic case must serve as warning on steroids

THE lethal dangers of steroid abuse have been brought starkly home by the death of a sportsloving teenager. Coroner Philip Comyn described the untimely death of the Limerick student after using a drug as a “tragedy”. Doctors agreed it was probable that Luke O’Brien May developed a swelling of the brain because of his use of a steroid.

As Mr Comyn explained: “Most of these steroids are obtained illegally. You do not know what you are getting. People need to be told of this. I hope people will become aware of the dangers of [these drugs] by Luke’s passing.”

What makes the drugs so insidious is that they become addictive so quickly, if abused. They cause damage to vital organs and by the time symptoms are shown, it may be too late. This young man was healthy with no history of illness.

The message has to get through that performanceenhancers have a catastrophic effect on health. Any ill-conceived short-term gains are hopelessly out-weighed by the risks.

It is also vital that there is proper sharing of information and promotion on the lethal harm steroids can cause, if further needless deaths are to be prevented.

The drugs are already banned, but evidently there seems to be some acceptance of their use among the young.

There is nothing remotely attractive about poisoning yourself and a zero-tolerance policy must be hammered home. Every legal and educational means available must be employed to achieve a total crackdown on the drugs.