Piloto, N.Teixeira, H.M.Teixeira-Lemos, E.Parada, B.Garrido, P.Sereno, J.F. Pinto, A.F.Costa, ElísioBelo, L.Santos-Silva, A.Pinto, R.Couceiro, P.Neto, P.Xavier, F.Carvalho, L.Teixeira, F.Reis, F.2011-07-012011-07-012010PILOTO, N… [et al.] - Erythropoietin doping as cause of sudden death in athletes: an experimental study. In Congresso da Academia Internacional de Medicina Legal, 21, Lisboa, Portugal, 28-30 de Maio de 2009 - VIEIRA, Duarte Nuno, coord… [et al.] - Acta Medicinae Legalis et Socialis. [S.l.] : Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra/ Academia Internacional de Medicina Legal, 2010. ISBN: 978-989-26-0049-9. p. 267-274http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/4632Aims: To evaluate the cardiovascular (CV) effects of rhEPO treatment in rats under chronic aerobic exercise and to assess the probable cause of sudden death in one rat. Protocol: Male Wistar rats: control - sedentary; rhEPO - 50 IU/Kg/3xwk; swimming (EX) -1 hr, 3x/wk; EX+EPO. Hematology, catecholamines and serotonin, redox status and inflammation, were assessed. One rat of EX+EPO group suffered a sudden death episode. Results: rhEPO treatment in trained rats promoted several markers of increased CV risk. The sudden death rat tissues presented: lungs without signs of drowning; brain with vascular congestion; LV hypertrpphy and deregulations of cardiac fibers, together with a "cardiac liver", suggesting the hypothesis of heart failure as cause of death. Conclusion: The sudden death of a EX+EPO rat, due to a cardiac episode, together with the increased CV risk profile, strongly suggest a high life risk associated to the continuous rhEPO doping. The anatomo-pathological studies were determinant to establish the cause of death.engrhEPODopingChronic aerobic exerciseSudden Deathconference object