I recently had my regular six month blood work done for high cholesterol and my regular blood glucose was 101 mg/dl [5.6 mmol/L], but the A1c was 6.2. I also realized that I use Flonase a lot more this time of year. Since it has steroids in it, could that be the reason for the 6.2 A1c increase? And, if not, then does this increase suggest diabetes? Also, I have been taking my blood at home and two hours after meals at least three times a week. My blood sugars have been between 89 and 101 mg/dl [4.9 and 5.6 mmol/L].

Have you been diagnosed with diabetes or are you screening for its onset? The A1c at this level does not diagnose diabetes. A fasting glucose of 101 mg/dl [5.6 mmol/L] is impaired fasting glucose or pre-diabetes. The two-hour glucose levels you describe are good results. There is data to suggest that enough steroids can be absorbed from inhaled steroids to suppress the adrenal glands. However, to know for sure if steroid use in your situation caused a change in glucose levels, you would have to know a lot more than what you provided. For instance, what is average fasting glucose before and after time of interest? It is unlikely you can answer this other than to see what happens when you don’t use the Flonase.

JTL