Hyperglycemia following intralesional corticosteroid injection in a patient with type I diabetes mellitus.

A 36-year-old woman with well-controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus reported hyperglycemia (plasma glucose peaked at 21.3 mmol/L) after her first injection with intralesional triamcinolone acetonide for alopecia areata. Intralesional corticosteroids are used to maximize local effect while presumably minimizing systemic complications. This adverse effect is an important consideration when treating patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and it would be reasonable to counsel patients of such a possibility.