Prevalenza di positività per droghe d’abuso tra sportivi professionisti dal 2000 al 2010

Aims: to evaluate the prevalence of psychotropic substances and stimulants among professional athletes, submitted to antidoping controls. Methods: over 102,400 urine samples from professional athletes were tested during the period 2000-2010 in the Italian anti-doping laboratory, using specific methods developed and validated according to the ISO 17025 norm. Results were evaluated and discussed with particular attention to stimulants and psychotropic substances. Results: the drugs of abuse detected among athletes more frequently were THC, with a mean 17.6% prevalence among other adverse analytical findings (AAF), and cocaine, with a mean 6.7% prevalence among other AAFs. Only a few cases showed the presence of amphetamine or methamphetamine (0.5%), while no amphetamine-like designer drugs were found. The Adverse Analytical Findings for opiates, mainly morphine above the cut-off (1ìg/ml) were 1.3% among other AAFs; in none of the samples O-6-monoacetylmorphine was found, while 90% of them was compatible with codeine intake. The positive results obtained were compared with data on consumption of drugs from the general population in the same age groups, and with the trends in drug seizures in the same period, showing a similar trend in both cases. Conclusions: the results obtained , being related to a particular segment of the population that is supposed to be more conscious of healthy lifestyles and of the possibility to be submitted to drug testing , can be considered as a useful indicator of the diffusion of drugs of abuse in the general youth population.