Adrenal insufficiency secondary to exogenous use of dermatological steroid

Abstract EN

During years 2000 and 2003, a total of 146 patients were diagnosed to have adrenal insufficiency due to exogenous use of steroid.

20 (13.

69 %) of these patients were diagnosed to have pituitaryadrenal suppression secondary to exogenous use of dermatological steroid.

The objective of the study is to identify the duration of steroid use, clinical presentation and the results of the assessment of pituitaryadrenal axis.

Fatigability, body pain, and abdominal pain were the main symptoms at presentation.

All of these patients showed signs of Cushings syndrome (chronic high steroid exposure).

Low urinary and serum cortisone levels, low adrenocorticotropic hormone levels and blunt response to adrenocorticotropic hormone injection were found in all patients.

Symptoms of patients improved with replacement therapy with oral steroids.

We concluded that local dermatological steroid preparations has similar complication on the pituitary-adrenal axis as the other routes of systemic steroid administration but with prolonged period of exposure for a year or more.