Steriod abuse; two wrongs don’t make a right: A case report

Abstract

Steroid abuse among patients with rheumatic symptoms is prevalent in developing countries. The sources of the steroids vary with a significant proportion of patients self-medicating. Chronic steroid abuse results in multiple adverse effects and rapid withdrawal in such patients leads to acute adrenal insufficiency. We present a case report of a 47 year old lady who self-medicated her joint pains with steroids for 17 years and subsequently developed acute adrenal insufficiency on their rapid withdrawal.