The Change of Blood Sugar Level after Steroid Injection in Shoulder Pain with Diabetes Mellitus.

, Yoon, Joon Shik; , Kim, Sei Joo; , Park, Eun Mi

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine 2003;27(4):557-560.

Yoon, Joon Shik , Kim, Sei Joo , Park, Eun Mi

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Korea. rehab46@medigate.net

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to investigate the effect of steroid injection on the blood sugar level in shoulder pain patients with diabetes mellitus. METHOD: Fifteen patients with shoulder pain and diagnosed diabetes mellitus were included. The blood sugar, insulin, cortisol and HbA1c level were measured before and twice (at 24 hours and 1 week) following a intraarticular, intratendinous or intrabursal injection containing triamcinolone. Statistical significance was determined by the paired t-test.
RESULTS
The blood sugar, insulin and HbA1c levels had no significant difference between before and after steoid injection (p>0.05). But, the cortisol level significantly fell at 24 hours after steroid injection compared with preinjection level and returned to preinjection level by 1 week after steroid injection (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION
One time triamcinolone injection resulted in significant suppression of cortisol level, but it returned to preinjection level after a week. The blood level of sugar, insulin and HbA1c showed no significant change after one time steroid injection.

Key Words: Diabetes mellitus, Shoulder pain, Triamcinolone, Blood sugar level, Cortisol level