Neele Delfs1,2, Tristan Struja1,2, Sandra Gafner1,2, Thaddaeus Muri1,2, Ciril Baechli2, Philipp Schuetz2, Beat Mueller1,2, Claudine Angela Blum1,2. 1. Departments of General Internal and Emergency Medicine, Medical University Clinic, Kantonsspital Aarau, Tellstrasse 25, Haus 7, 5001 Aarau, Switzerland. 2. Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical University Clinic, Kantonsspital Aarau, Tellstrasse 25, Haus 7, 5001 Aarau, Switzerland.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoid (GC)-induced hyperglycemia is a frequent side effect in hospitalized patients. Guidelines recommend treat-to-target treatment between 6-10 mmol/L (108-180 mg/dL) with insulin, but data on outcome is scarce. We investigated the 30-day outcome in hospitalized patients receiving GCs. METHODS: All patient records of hospitalized patients between January 2014 and April 2018 were screened for GC administration and consecutive hyperglycemia. The primary combined endpoint consisted of death, cardiovascular events, and infections until 30 days after admission. Hypoglycemia was a secondary outcome. RESULTS: Of the 2424 hospitalized patients (9.6% of all hospitalized patients) who received systemic GCs and met inclusion criteria, the overall incidence for GC-induced hyperglycemia was 812 (33.5%), and 89 (3.7%) had at least one documented hypoglycemia during their hospital stay. Compared to patients with normoglycemia, GC-induced hyperglycemia had an adjusted-odds ratio of 1.68 (95% CI 1.25-2.26) for the combined primary endpoint. Hypoglycemia even had an odds ratio of 1.95 (95% CI 1.2-3.17). CONCLUSIONS: Mortality, cardiovascular events, and rate of infections were markedly higher in patients with GC-induced hyperglycemia as compared to patients with normoglycemia. Importantly, hypoglycemia was associated with a doubled risk for adverse outcome. Future studies should evaluate whether optimized glucose control by minimizing the risk for hypoglycemia has a beneficial effect on clinical outcomes in patients with GC-induced hyperglycemia.
BACKGROUND: Glucocorticoid (GC)-induced hyperglycemia is a frequent side effect in hospitalized patients. Guidelines recommend treat-to-target treatment between 6-10 mmol/L (108-180 mg/dL) with insulin, but data on outcome is scarce. We investigated the 30-day outcome in hospitalized patients receiving GCs. METHODS: All patient records of hospitalized patients between January 2014 and April 2018 were screened for GC administration and consecutive hyperglycemia. The primary combined endpoint consisted of death, cardiovascular events, and infections until 30 days after admission. Hypoglycemia was a secondary outcome. RESULTS: Of the 2424 hospitalized patients (9.6% of all hospitalized patients) who received systemic GCs and met inclusion criteria, the overall incidence for GC-induced hyperglycemia was 812 (33.5%), and 89 (3.7%) had at least one documented hypoglycemia during their hospital stay. Compared to patients with normoglycemia, GC-induced hyperglycemia had an adjusted-odds ratio of 1.68 (95% CI 1.25-2.26) for the combined primary endpoint. Hypoglycemia even had an odds ratio of 1.95 (95% CI 1.2-3.17). CONCLUSIONS:Mortality, cardiovascular events, and rate of infections were markedly higher in patients with GC-induced hyperglycemia as compared to patients with normoglycemia. Importantly, hypoglycemia was associated with a doubled risk for adverse outcome. Future studies should evaluate whether optimized glucose control by minimizing the risk for hypoglycemia has a beneficial effect on clinical outcomes in patients with GC-induced hyperglycemia.
Authors: Younes R Younes; Susan Stockley; Lorna Keegan; Linda O'Donoghue; Elizabeth Yohannan; Liz Read; Jamie-Leigh Williamson; John Peter; Kavitha Lakshmipathy; Vera Smout; Vidhu Nayyar; Julian Emmanuel; Sunil Zachariah; James Clark; Benjamin C T Field Journal: Diabet Med Date: 2021-10-22 Impact factor: 4.213