Adverse effects of corticosteroids
- Produces Cushing’s habitus – moon face, supraclavicular hump, trunkal obesity and relatively thin limbs, hirsuitim.
- It causes proximal myopathy – shoulder, arms, hip, thigh
- Fragility and thinning of skin – causes purple striae, especially on lower abdomen and thigh, easy bruisability and telangectasias
- Decreased wound healing
- Increased susceptibility to infections – flaring of tuberulosis can occur, predispose to oppurtunistic infections like candidiasis
- Can cause posterior subcapsular cataract
- Can cause peptic ulcer and silent perforation (two fold increase in risk)
- Can cause hyperglycemia and may precipitate diabetes mellitus.
- In pregnant females, steroids can cause gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertension and eclampsia
- It may cause IUGR in the fetus
- Hypertension due to salt water retention
- Hypokalemia alkalosis
- Edema
- Osteoporosis – is an indication for withdrawl of steroids and can be prevented by concurrent administration of vitamin D, calcium bisphosphonates and estrogen in females and androgen in males.
- Growth retardation in children
- Suppression of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis
- Steroid induced psychosis. Mild euphoria can occur more frequently.
