Effect of Chromium on Blood Sugar After Sacroiliac Joint Injection

One of the most prevalent complaints these days is sacroiliitis, which affects around 20% of the population.

In roughly 10% to 27% of these cases, the sacroiliac joint has been identified as the major source of pain.

Due to the interrelated causes of facet joint and intervertebral disc pain, a precise diagnosis of sacroiliac joint pain is difficult. Imaging methods, controlled local anesthetic blocks, history taking, and physical examinations can all be used to make a diagnosis.

When people are unable to have surgery because of challenges with their health or other issues, steroids can be used to alleviate severe pain that has to be treated surgically. However, using steroids can have a number of negative consequences, including exhaustion, nausea, face flushing, and fever. One common steroid side effect is the Elevation of blood glucose levels which can be challenging to diabetic patients.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis can be inhibited by the administration of steroids, which puts patients at risk for adrenal insufficiency and makes blood glucose management difficult , as it also raises the random blood sugar levels. Additionally, it can increase insulin resistance and blood glucose levels by suppressing the activity of glucose metabolism and promoting gluconeogenesis.

As a result, investigating a way to reduce the difficulty and minimize complications for people with diabetes is needed..

In comparison to those without diabetes mellitus (DM), patients with DM are more susceptible to vascular damage, joint and disk abnormalities, and degenerative changes. They also have a greater frequency of illnesses affecting the shoulders and spine. Because steroid usage increases the risk of high blood glucose in individuals with diabetes mellitus, the active use of steroids in clinical practice is restricted.

Blood glucose rise following steroid injection in particular regions, such as the wrist, finger, shoulder, and knee, has been the subject of many investigations recently.

Inclusion criteria

• Adult patients (age ≥ 18 years).
• Diagnosed with diabetes mellitus.
• Scheduled for ultrasound-guided sacroiliac joint injections for pain management.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with contraindications to chromium supplementation like people with kidney or liver disorders or people with iron deficiency.
• Patients with a history of chromium allergy.
• Pregnant or lactating women.
• Patients with uncontrolled diabetes (HbA1c > 9%).
• Cardiac, renal, hepatic, coagulopathy.
• Lumbar Spine deformity.
• Obesity BMI ( 35 kg/m²)
• Local infection.