Your asthma may be well controlled with your current medications, but could your asthma meds be increasing your risk of diabetes?
According to an article in the most recent issue of The American Journal of Medicine, inhaled steroids may be associated with developing or worsening diabetes. Overall, inhaled steroids increased risk of diabetes by 34%, while high dose inhaled steroids increased risk up of developing diabetes up to 64%. Inhaled steroid use also increased the risk of worsening diabetes and the higher the dose the greater the risk. Overall, 14.2 per 1000 patients per year developed diabetes while on inhaled steroids .
In a press release Samy Suissa, PhD, lead investigator from McGill University, commented that "high doses of inhaled corticosteroids commonly used in patients with COPD are associated with an increase in the risk of requiring treatment for diabetes and of having to intensify therapy to include insulin. Therefore, patients instituting therapy with high doses of inhaled corticosteroids should be assessed for possible hyperglycemia and treatment with high doses of inhaled corticosteroids limited to situations where the benefit is clear."
Learn More
- What Are Inhaled Corticosteroids?
- What Are Common Inhaled Corticosteroids Side Effects?
- Do Inhaled Steroids Improve Childhood Asthma?
