People who inject steroids are 10x more likely to have little-known life-threatening virus

Experts believe as many as 17,000 people in the UK who inject steroids are at risk of having a little spoken about virus.

You may not realise, but a lot more people around you take steroids then you think. Catch NHS sexual health consultant and Medical Director at Preventx Dr John White explaining how to test for the virus here:

Whether it be an influencer you follow on social media, someone who goes to the same gym or even a friend, around 357,600 people in the UK are believed to inject steroids, new research provided exclusively to LADbible has revealed.

And this could be the lower end of the estimation too, with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) reporting that over one million people in the country are believed to be using steroids - usually for image and performance enhancing purposes in sport and fitness - categorising it as a 'serious public health issue'.

The dangers of steroid use have been publicly addressed by several gym-goers and bodybuilders, however, there's one virus which can be picked up by injecting steroids which isn't spoken about enough - Hepatitis C.

Those who inject steroids could be at risk of having Hepatitis C (CAVALLINI JAMES/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

While both men and women are known to use steroids, studies show the issue is more prevalent in men and what's more, 63 percent of men have 'limited or no knowledge' of Hepatitis C - a virus that can infect the liver and if left untreated 'can sometimes cause serious and potentially life-threatening damage to the liver over many years,' the NHS states.

59 percent of men have limited or no knowledge of how hepatitis C is spread or contracted and with a name similar to that of various sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), some hold the misconception that one of the main ways to contract the virus is via unprotected sex, however, this is far from the case.

Pexels/ Cottonbro studio

While hepatitis C can be sexually transmitted, the NHS says this is 'very rare' - the virus more often spread through 'sharing unsterilised needles, sharing razors or toothbrushes [and] from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby'.

The NHS also adds: "In the UK, most hepatitis C infections happen in people who inject drugs or have injected them in the past.

"It's estimated around half of those who inject drugs have been infected with the virus."

This includes the injecting of steroids - anabolic steroids the specific type 'used as performance-enhancing drugs that increase muscle mass and decrease fat'.

And new research has revealed people who inject steroids are 10 times more likely to have hepatitis C, and there are currently 17,000 people in the UK who inject steroids who are at risk of having the virus.

What's more, 34 percent of gym-goers in the UK are reported as being aware of people who attend their gym or club using steroids and the virus doesn't always have any 'noticeable symptoms until the liver has been significantly damaged' - with 73 percent of men not being aware of this.

But how do you go about getting tested if you're not sure?

Pexels/ Marcus Chan

Well, symptoms to look out for include flu-like symptoms - high temperature and muscle aches, stomach ache, feeling sick or actually throwing up, not feeling hungry anymore and feeling tired all the time.

However, the only way to know for sure is to get tested.

If the virus is left untreated for 'many years' you could end up at risk of developing cirrhosis - scarring of the liver caused by long-term liver damage - or even liver failure or cancer in 'severe cases'.

Thankfully, Hepatitis C is treatable. If diagnosed, you'll be given medicines in the form of tablets which need to be taken for 'several weeks' to stop the virus multiplying.

Using the medication, over 90 percent of people with the virus 'may be cured'.

If you inject steroids or have done in the past and are worried, you can get a free at-home testing kit for hepatitis C through the NHS.