Steroid Treatment May Double Your Risk for Diabetes, Study Finds

Patients who take prescription steroids are more than twice as likely to develop diabetes, a new study finds.

Steroid medications are used to fight inflammation and are often prescribed to treat autoimmune diseases, chronic skin conditions and certain cancers.

The drugs have also been linked to blood sugar spikes, especially steroid tablets or injections versus inhalers, creams or drops.

Researchers reviewed data from more than 450,000 adults admitted to hospitals in the UK between 2013 and 2023. Those who were treated with systemic steroids were 2.6 times more likely to develop new-onset diabetes.

The lead author says, “While we studied hospital patients, glucocorticoid tablets can be prescribed by GPs for conditions such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, and it is important that they, too, are aware of the link.”

Source: European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)

Author Affiliations: University of Oxford