title: Risk of corticosteroid-induced hyperglycemia requiring medical therapy among patients with inflammatory eye diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the incidence and risk factors for corticosteroid-induced hyperglycemia requiring medical therapy among patients with inflammatory eye diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with ocular inflammation followed at 5 United States tertiary centers that initially were neither diabetic nor taking hypoglycemic medications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eligible patients who used oral corticosteroids during follow-up were identified and followed longitudinally for initiation of hypoglycemic medication over 1 year after beginning corticosteroids. The remaining eligible patients were followed for 1 year after their initial visit. Survival analysis was used to calculate the risk of hyperglycemia requiring medical therapy and to identify potential risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Initiation of hypoglycemic medications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 2073 non-diabetic patients treated with oral corticosteroids, 25 (1.21%) initiated hypoglycemic therapy compared with 5 of 2666 patients (0.19%) not treated with oral corticosteroids (relative risk [RR], 4.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.68-11.5). The RR tended to be higher in association with higher initial doses (for initial doses <40 mg of prednisone per day: RR, 3.23; 95% CI, 1.08-9.64; for initial prednisone dose ≥40 mg/d: RR, 5.51; 95% CI, 2.01-15.1). Other risk factors for the initiation of hypoglycemic therapy included older age (RR [per each additional 10 years], 1.46; 95% CI, 1.15-1.85; P = 0.002) and African-American race (RR, 2.94; 95% CI, 1.34-6.43; P = 0.007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the absolute risk of corticosteroid-induced hyperglycemia that is detected and treated with hypoglycemic therapy in the tertiary ocular inflammation setting is low (an excess cumulative risk on the order of 1% within 1 year), although on a relative scale it is approximately 4.4-fold higher than in patients not treated with oral corticosteroids. Older age and African-American race also were risk factors. Physicians who use systemic corticosteroids for ocular inflammatory diseases should be aware of this risk, and should consider surveillance for hyperglycemia among high-risk patients. However, given the low absolute risk, routine laboratory monitoring or referral for monitoring may not be necessary for low-risk patients.
authors.affiliation: The Ocular Inflammation Service and Center for Preventive Ophthalmology and Biostatistics, Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Udoetuk
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Gui-Shuang
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.forename: Ebenezer
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.forename: Sapna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gangaputra
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
authors.forename: Eric B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Suhler
authors.forename: Jennifer E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Thorne
authors.forename: C Stephen
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Jabs
authors.forename: Grace A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Levy-Clarke
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Nussenblatt
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kempen
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D010390:Pemphigoid, Benign Mucous Membrane / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011241:Prednisone / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015423:Scleritis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014605:Uveitis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D011241:Prednisone