The Effect of Epidural Steroid Injections on Glycemic Control in Diabetic Patients According to the Doses of Steroids

It is well known that blood glucose level is elevated in diabetes patients more than non-diabetes patients who underwent the epidural steroid injection. However, there has been no reports of the effect of various kinds of steroid or various dose of steroid which are commonly used in the clinical setting. Previous studies have simply shown that the blood glucose level is elevated in diabetes patients and did not show or suggest the adequate strategy of epidural steroid injection in diabetes patients regarding steroid type, dosage or injection interval. Therefore, the investigators tried to evaluate the effect of different dosage of triamcinolone, which is a commonly used steroid in epidural steroid injection, on the blood glucose level.

Inclusion criteria

• subjects who undergo epidural steroid injection (caudal epidural injection or selective transforaminal block) in the pain medicine outpatient clinic
• subjects older than 20 yrs.

Exclusion criteria

• ASA (American society of Anesthesiologists class) III or more
• severe cardiopulmonary disease or brain disorder
• Subjects diagnosed uncontrolled diabetes with complications
• subjects undergoing hormone therapy
• subjects with active infection
• subjects with pregnancy
• subjects with recent stress condition such as surgery or trauma
• subjects with active neurologic disorder
• those with anticoagulation therapy