Genetics of certain steroids

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are steroids produced by your body. They are part of our normal response to stress and help us use the nutrients in foods. GCs also reduce inflammation, or swelling, in your body. Doctors use GCs to treat a variety of diseases. Examples include rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, allergies, and even some cancers. But, they do not always work like they should. Sometimes, they have serious side effects. Changes in certain genes may play a role in how well GCs work. We know that gene changes can affect the way our body processes GCs. Two common ways to tell how well GCs work are easy to track. One is to check your white blood cell counts. We can tell how well GCs are working by looking at these numbers. The other is your blood sugar level. GCs often raise your blood sugar. If GCs are not working well, your blood sugar will be too high. Researchers in this study will use BioVU to look for gene changes linked to GCs. They will look for people who took GCs. They will look at their white blood cell count and their blood sugar levels. They will compare the genes of those who had changes in these values, to those who did not. They hope to learn which gene changes alter our white blood cell count. They also hope to figure out which gene changes raise our blood sugar. The results of this study could help us learn more about how gene changes affect GCs. It will also help us understand who GCs may help, and who will have side effects. This could help us better treat people who need GCs.