Steroid-induced Diabetes Mellitus in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Patients

120 SLE patients who attend the SLE and Rheumatology Clinic will be recruited into the study. All patients need to fulfil at least four criteria from the American College of Rheumatology Classification Criteria for SLE 1997(28). All patients need to be receiving corticosteroid therapy. SDM cases is defined as the development of DM after commencement of steroid treatment. Prevalent cases of SDM will also be included in the study.

Diagnosis of DM will be made according to the American Diabetes Association(29), that is fasting plasma glucose ≥ 7.0 mmol/L or HbA1c ≥ 6.5 or 2-h plasma glucose ≥ 11.1 mmol/L during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). SLE patients who receive corticosteroids treatment will be screened with fasting blood sugar during out-patient clinic visit. If fasting blood glucose level is high , an additional HbA1C or OGTT will be performed.

All patients included in this study will be subjected to:

1. Full history taking: including age, sex, duration of the SLE disease , age at onset of symptoms of SLE, the progression of disease, type of corticosteroid used, dosage, duration of treatment and other types of drugs used, presence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking.
2. Complete clinical examination: A standardized physical examination will be performed in all patients to measure blood pressure, waist circumference and body mass index.
3. Laboratory investigations:

• Fasting plasma glucose.
• HbA1c.
• 2-h plasma glucose.
• Total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels.