Effect of prednisolone on blood results

[aqt1]

Hi, hope you're all doing well!

Since getting covid in March of last year I have had a whole bunch of symptoms like fatigue and joint pain and fevers, also butterfly rash and some photosensitive rashes so my GP did an ANA and dsDNA for lupus which both came back negative and the rest of my blood were mostly normal apart from raised ESR so has referred me to a rheumatologist in the view that it's long covid and long-standing hypermobility problems. The rheumatologist ran some more tests including ENA which I haven't had results for yet. I was put on prednisolone 20mg decreasing by 2.5mg each week and finished that course nearly a month ago. I went for bloods earlier this week which were requested by cardiology(waiting for tilt table test for POTS) so completely separate and was just wondering if you guys might be able to tell me if/how prednisolone might have affected the results? My eosinophil count was high. My eGFR has decreased from >90ml/min/1.73m*2 in May 2022 to 81(flagged as abnormal)/ My serum creatinine has gone from 80 in May 2022(right at the top bound of normal) to 89(flagged as abnormal) and my serum inorganic phosphate went for 0.95mmol/L in May(normal) to 0.76(flagged as abnormally low). I have an appointment with my GP this week but I am wondering how likely it is that these results are abnormal because of the prednisolone-my GP didn't know how prednisolone would affect cortisol so I don't think she will have much knowledge on how these tests could have been affected by it.

Sorry for the long waffly post and thanks for any help in advance

[Florence91]

I have been on prednisolone for years and it has not to my knowledge affected my blood results but other drugs like methotrexate have. If my bloods are off, it has generally been because of my lupus and being unwell. MTX tends to affect blood count. Talk to your doctor is what I would suggest. Good luck.