 Medscape |
 Home Site Map Marketplace My Medscape CME Center Feedback Help Desk |
|
|
New Testing for Blood Doping to Be Implemented at 2000 Olympic Games in SydneyAugust 30, 2000MedscapeWire
The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Executive Board today voted to use a new combination of blood and urine tests for detecting EPO (erythropoietin) blood doping by athletes. This decision marks the first time that a combination of blood and urine tests will be used to assess blood doping at an international sporting event. The Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory, the IOC accredited laboratory in Sydney, will run the blood tests on the Advia 120 Hematology System (Bayer Diagnostics). "Blood doping is an issue that has plagued the international sports arena for years, creating an uneven playing field in many sports," according to Jim Stray-Gundersen, MD, research professor in the Department of Physiology, Norwegian University of Sport and Physical Education. "The sports most often associated with blood doping are endurance sports that require high levels of maximum oxygen uptake such as cycling, cross-country skiing, and long-distance running." Blood doping originally involved blood transfusions, but it is now associated with the use of a drug called recombinant erythropoietin or r-HuEPO, to boost the production of red blood cells, increasing the amount of oxygen delivered to exercising muscles. Because races are won by fractions of a second, blood doping can offer minutes of advantage. This dangerous practice can lead to heart problems or stroke. "Blood doping is associated with serious risks," according to Robin Parisotto, laboratory manager in the Sports Haematology and Biochemistry Laboratory of the Australian Institute of Sport and the lead investigator of the multicenter trial that developed and validated the testing procedure. "Many experts suspect that too much EPO has played a role in the unexplained heart problems and subsequent deaths of close to 20 European racing cyclists since 1987. We hope this testing procedure will deter athletes from doping." Experts from Australia, Norway, France, Canada, and China have been working over the last 3 years to develop a reliable testing procedure using a combination of blood and urine tests to detect EPO abuse. In the past EPO testing involved urine tests alone, but this new procedure allows physicians and lab professionals to look at accelerated erythropoiesis (making of new red blood cells) or decelerated erythropoiesis. "As there is no single test to detect recombinant EPO, we worked to develop a testing protocol that would reduce false positives using several indirect testing methods," stated Parisotto. "In the last six months we have been able to validate this new testing procedure which involves traditional urine tests and newer blood tests. According to our research, these tests offer valuable tools for leveling the competitive playing field and deterring athletes from using EPO or engaging in blood doping activities." Medscape Wire is prepared by Deborah Flapan, associate editor at Medscape. Send press releases and comments to medscapewire2@mail.medscape.com. |
| ||||||
|
|
All material on this website is protected by copyright. Copyright © 1994-2000 by Medscape Inc. All rights reserved. This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties. Medscape requires 3.x browsers or better from Netscape or Microsoft.
