ArticleBMJ open2017
Patient perceptions of glucocorticoid side effects: a cross-sectional survey of users in an online health community.
Article in BMJ open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.
- The efficacy and safety of different doses of glucocorticoid for autoimmune hepatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine · 2019Pooled it
- Efficacy of Qingpeng ointment (a Tibetan medicine) for acute gouty arthritis: a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Trial
- Corticosteroid-induced Cushingoid Appearance in Myasthenia Gravis.Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) · 2025Article
- Smartphone App-Based Eating Behavior Monitoring and Feedback Intervention for Glucocorticoid-Induced Appetite Increase in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Glucocorticoid use and perceptions of side effects among patients with rheumatic medical diseases: Insights from a developing country.PloS one · 2025Article
- Experiences of Oral Corticosteroid Use and Adverse Effects: A National Cross-Sectional Survey of People with Asthma.Patient preference and adherence · 2025Article
- Addressing Glucocorticoid-Related Problems with the Clinical Pharmacist Collaboration in Rheumatology Practice: A Prospective Follow-Up Study.Rheumatology and therapy · 2024Article
- Public Awareness Regarding Corticosteroid Use and Side Effects: A Cross-Sectional Study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Current understanding of the molecular mechanisms of circulating permeability factor in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Avacopan improves patient perspective on steroid-related toxicity effects in a case with ANCA-associated vasculitis.Rheumatology advances in practice · 2023Article
- Article
- Evaluation of the toxicity of glucocorticoids in patients with autoimmune blistering disease using the Glucocorticoid Toxicity Index: A cohort study.JAAD international · 2022Article
- Analysis of therapeutic effectiveness and adverse effects of long-term corticosteroids among leprosy patients with reactions: A retrospective cohort study.SAGE open medicine · 2022Article
- Oral corticosteroids stewardship for asthma in adults and adolescents: A position paper from the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand.Respirology (Carlton, Vic.) · 2021Review
- Adverse Side Effects Associated with Corticosteroid Therapy: A Study in 39 Patients with Generalized Myasthenia Gravis.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2021Article
- Public Perspectives of Using Social Media Data to Improve Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting: A Mixed-Methods Study.Drug safety · 2021Article
- Perspectives of Glucocorticoid Use in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis.ACR open rheumatology · 2021Article
- Impacts of different methylprednisolone administration routes in patients with sudden hearing loss or Meniere's disease.Journal of otology · 2020Article
- How Do Glucocorticoids Used in Rheumatic Disease Affect Body Weight? A Narrative Review of the Evidence.Arthritis care & research · 2020Review
- Therapeutic glucocorticoids: mechanisms of actions in rheumatic diseases.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo identify the side effects most important to glucocorticoid (GC) users through a survey of a UK online health community (Healthunlocked.com).
designOnline cross-sectional survey.
settingParticipants were recruited through Healthunlocked.com, an online social network for health.
participantsAdults who were currently taking GCs, or had taken GCs in the past month.
methodResponders scored the importance of listed side effects from 1 to 10, with 10 being of high importance to them. For each side effect, histograms were plotted, and the median rating and IQR were determined. Side effects were ranked by median ranking (largest to smallest) and then IQR (smallest to largest). The scores were categorised as low (scores 1-3), medium (scores 4-7) and high (scores 8-10) importance.
results604 responders completed the survey. Histograms of side effect scores showed a skew towards high importance for weight gain, a U-shaped distribution for cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, eye disease and infections, and a skew towards low importance for acne. When ranked, the side effect of most importance to responders was weight gain (median score=9, IQR 6-10) followed by insomnia and moon face with equal median score (8) and IQR (5-10). Three serious side effects, CVD, diabetes and infections, were ranked of lower importance overall but had wide ranging scores (median score=8, IQR 1-10).
conclusionsThe three most highly rated side effects were not clinically serious but remained important to patients, perhaps reflecting their impact on quality of life and high prevalence. This should be taken into consideration when discussing treatment options and planning future GC safety studies.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.