Diabetes management during glucocorticoid therapy for nonendocrine disease.

Objective: To determine current attitudes about management of diabetes during glucocorticoid therapy for nonendocrine disease, as assessed by a pilot survey. Methods: A 27-item questionnaire was designed to determine areas of consensus and of disagreement on diabetes management during glucocorticoid therapy for nonendocrine disease and was mailed to 84 Chicago-area academic general internists, endocrinologists, pulmonologists or allergists, rheumatologists, and certified diabetes nurse-educators. Results: The response rate was 55%. For new-onset "steroid diabetes," 43% of respondents agreed with use of insulin and 44% with use of sulfonylurea therapy. Respondents indicated 91 to 95% agreement on the desirability of self-monitoring of blood glucose on initiation of glucocorticoid therapy. For a fasting plasma venous glucose level of 150 mg/dL at the time of initiation of long-term glucocorticoid therapy, 54% of respondents disagreed with immediate increase of insulin in the case of a patient already taking...