Table 2.
Adverse side effects of glucocorticoids by system. As glucocorticoids are a major contributor to diminishing HRQoL and long-term complications, recognizing the frequent and common adverse side effects of glucocorticoids is essential to a patient’s health and well-being.
| Central Nervous System |
|---|
| Steroid induced psychosis |
| Changes in mood and behavior |
| Dysphoria |
| Insomnia |
| Changes in memory |
| Cerebral atrophy |
| Ocular |
| Glaucoma |
| Cataracts |
| Cardiovascular |
| Hypertension |
| Dyslipidemia |
| Thrombosis |
| Vascular frailty |
| Gastrointestinal |
| Peptic ulcer |
| Gastrointestinal bleeding |
| Pancreatitis |
| Hepatic steatosis |
| Renal |
| Increased sodium retention |
| Increased potassium excretion |
| Endocrine |
| Diabetes mellitus |
| Weight gain |
| Cushing’s syndrome |
| Adrenal suppression |
| Hypogonadism |
| Male gynecomastia |
| Musculoskeletal |
| Osteoporosis |
| Bone necrosis |
| Muscle atrophy |
| Myopathy |
| Skin |
| Striae rubrae distensae |
| Skin frailty and tearing |
| Delayed wound healing |
| Glucocorticoid induced acne |
| Secondary infections, including candidiasis |
| Perioral dermatitis |
| Telangiectasia |
| Skin atrophy |
| Seborrheic dermatitis |
| Immune |
| Reactivation of latent viruses |
| Increased risk of infection |
| Immunosuppression |
| Serious Infection |
| Candidiasis: oral/cutaneous/vaginal |