Is Topical Steroid Use Associated with Developing Type 2 Diabetes?

Can systemic absorption of topical corticosteroids cause glucose intolerance? To shed light on this question, researchers performed several analyses using large national databases from Denmark and the U.K.

In case-control studies, use of topical corticosteroids was associated with subsequent development of type 2 diabetes, with an adjusted odds ratio of about 1.25 in both countries. In a cohort study (from Denmark), incidence rates of new-onset type 2 diabetes were significantly higher in topical corticosteroid users than in nonusers (about 6 vs. 4 cases per 1000 person-years); adjustment for numerous confounding variables attenuated this difference but didn't abolish it (hazard ratio for developing diabetes, 1.27). In the Danish studies, pr…