Patients receiving steroids are more than twice as likely to develop diabetes, UK study finds

Medical Xpress / Diabetologia / Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes ^ | Sept. 8, 2024 | Dr. Rajna Golubic et al

[ConservativeMind]

Patients who are being treated with systemic glucocorticoids are more than twice as likely to develop diabetes as those not receiving the treatment.

Glucocorticoids (sometimes known as steroids) fight inflammation and are used to treat a wide range of inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.

While they can be very effective in decreasing inflammation, glucocorticoids have many adverse effects including increasing blood sugar levels and causing diabetes. This is more likely when people use tablets or injections than when used as inhalers, creams or drops.

A new study has investigated how commonly patients being treated with glucocorticoids can develop new-onset diabetes. The study found that patients receiving systemic glucocorticoids were more than twice as likely (2.6 times) to develop diabetes as those not receiving the treatment.

Dr. Golubic and colleagues compared the rate of new-onset diabetes in hospital patients who received systemic glucocorticoids (tablets, injections or infusions) to patients not treated with these drugs.

The study involved 451,606 adults who were admitted to the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust between 1 January 2013 and 1 October 2023. All were free from diabetes at the start of the study and none were taking systemic glucocorticoids.

In total, 17,258 (3.8%) of the patients were treated with systemic glucocorticoids (some names include prednisolone, hydrocortisone, dexamethasone) while in the hospital, most commonly for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and for infections.

A group of 316 of these 17,258 patients (1.8%) developed diabetes while in the hospital. This compares with 3,430 of the 434,348 patients (0.8%) who didn't receive systemic glucocorticoids. Patients had been typically admitted for less than a week.

Further analysis showed that when age and sex were factored in, patients receiving systemic glucocorticoids were more than twice as likely (2.6 times) to develop diabetes as those not receiving the treatment.

[ConservativeMind]

In less than a week, people became diabetic 2.6X in that week more often than people who were not given steroids for their hospital visits.

[ConservativeMind]

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[Paal Gulli]

THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY MORONIC HEADLINE because when the sheeple hear the word "steroids," they automatically think of anabolic-androgenic steroids, the athletic performance-enhancing drug, and that's NOT what this study is about.

It's about corticosteroids, which ARE NOT commonly referred to as "steroids," they're commonly referred to as "cortisone."

Corticosteroids bear no relationship to the stuff the gym rats use to get "pumped up."

Corticosteroids are what gives people like Jerry Lewis (who was being treated for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) the infamous "chipmunk cheeks." It makes you put on weight so it shouldn't be a surprise it also has a diabetes connection.

[cherry]

This is old news...I read about the diabetes angle many yrs ago and iirc, THAT study said even one use of these steroids can harm you in regard to development of diabetes.

[Paal Gulli]

Scramblin' Fran Tarkenton on SNL in 1977:

Steroids. Breakfast of Champions. Not for treating your arthritis.

[sauropod]

Bkmk

[CodeToad]

“THIS IS AN ABSOLUTELY MORONIC HEADLINE because when the sheeple hear the word “steroids,” they automatically think of anabolic-androgenic steroids, the athletic performance-enhancing drug, and that’s NOT what this study is about.”

I didn’t think of anabolics, so you can cut out the histrionics and grow up.

[StayoutdaBushesWay]

This is how I got diabetes. The pharmacist gave me double the dose that the doctor had called in. The doctor didn’t tell me the dose she had prescribed, so I didn’t know. One week later I was in the ER with a glucose level of 186, 4 hours after eating. The doctor told me that I had most likely developed it, but I wouldn’t know for sure until the meds were out of my system. Sure enough, I’m diabetic now. My previous glucose labs were always normal.

[mewzilla]

What a coinkydink! You know what else can give you diabetes...

Type 1 diabetes mellitus following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination

A case of Graves' disease and type 1 diabetes mellitus following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination

Anti-GAD antibody-positive fulminant type 1 diabetes developed following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination

Note the dates of the papers.

[MayflowerMadam]

Old news. Our cat has been on steroids for 10 years, and the vet has ALWAYS warned us that diabetes easily could be in her future because of it.