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Report: Teen Boy a Patient of Shortt: N.Y. Doctor Questions Steroid Prescription

Posted on: Thursday, 9 March 2006, 18:00 CST

By Charles Chandler, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

Mar. 9--A 15-year-old boy was one of the patients whose treatment by Dr. James Shortt drew the scrutiny of prosecutors in their federal steroids case against the former West Columbia physician.

According to a report prepared by New York University internal and sports medicine specialist Dr. Gary Wadler for the U.S. Attorney's Office, which prosecuted Shortt, the doctor had "no legitimate medical basis" for prescribing testosterone, an anabolic steroid, to the boy in 2002.

"I am concerned because it is particularly egregious to use a position of trust to render potential harm to a young boy like that," Wadler told the Observer. "That's an ethical issue and an increasingly legal issue."

The identity of the boy and his medical status were not known. His name was blacked out of copies of Wadler's report that were made public.

Shortt, 59, pleaded and was declared guilty Monday of conspiring to distribute anabolic steroids and human growth hormones. His patients included Carolina Panthers players whom prosecutors showed he treated for performance enhancement.

Wadler, a World Anti-Doping Agency adviser, said there was no evidence in the boy's records that Shortt prescribed the testosterone to enhance athletic performance. However, Wadler's report said Shortt's diagnosis that the boy experienced delayed puberty "seems inconceivable" and was essentially ruled out by the boy's 5-foot-10 height.

Wadler's report said the boy, who is now 18, first visited Shortt in May 2002 complaining of fatigue, allergies and a lack of concentration.

Federal prosecutors asked Wadler to examine medical records of the boy and 13 adult patients of Shortt, including six pro football players, as they prepared their case against the doctor.

Shortt's attorney, Allen Burnside of Columbia, said he could not comment until after the doctor's sentencing.

Use of steroids for nonmedical reasons by teenagers is a widespread national concern and has been discussed in recent months by Congressional panels. Steroid abuse in adolescents can halt bone growth and has been associated with damage to the heart, kidneys and liver.

"There are serious consequences and I think parents need to be aware of that," said Wadler.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse estimates that more than a half million eighth and 10th graders use steroids annually, and that an increasing number of high school seniors don't consider the drugs risky.

A recent Northeastern University study determined that steroid use by teenagers can cause aggression lasting for years after quitting the drugs.

Charles Chandler: (704) 358-5123.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.

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Source: The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)

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