Does long-term prednisone use cause diabetes?
A. Cortisone and its analogues are “stress hormones” that prime the body for times of challenge. Thus, the rise in sugar in the body is a natural byproduct of a preparation for stress in tissues of the muscles, brain, and heart, for example. This is why an increase in the stress hormone results in an increase of the body’s stores of glucose. Long-term prednisone use can cause diabetes in someone who has a tendency to be diabetic. Moreover, the higher the dose of prednisone, the greater the likelihood that the blood glucose (sugar) level will rise. Obesity and a genetic background that includes diabetes also give a person a greater chance of developing diabetes. — Robert Lahita, M.D., Ph.D. Guest Experts Richard D. Sontheimer, M.D., is professor and vice chairman, Department of Dermatology, and the Richard and Adeline Fleischaker Chair in Dermatology Research, at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Graciela S. Alarcón, M.D., M.P.H., is chair of Medicine an
