Question:
From Louisiana, USA:
Could you please explain the mechanism by which steroids cause hyperglycemia?
Answer:
The outer part of the suprarenal [adrenal] gland, called the cortex, makes
an important group of chemicals that are cholesterol like in structure
and that are called steroids. One group of these products are called
glucocorticoids because they have a profound effect on glucose metabolism,
more specifically they promote a series of reactions known as
gluconeogenesis, by which amino acids from protein are converted into
glucose, a process that takes place primarily in the liver.
DO'B
Original posting 10 Apr 1998
Posted to Hyperglycemia and DKA
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