Background

Acne vulgaris is a self-limiting condition that may affect the patients quality of life. The most efficacious treatment of choice for acne is isotretinoin. However, adverse effects and relapse of acne after completing an isotretinoin course pose major hurdles for treatment compliance and adherence.

Method

The authors conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire. The prevalence and risk factors associated with the relapse of acne following isotretinoin use among Saudi patients were assessed. In addition, the reasons for discontinuing treatment, extent of awareness about isotretinoin use-associated teratogenicity, side effects such as liver enzymes impairments, dry mouth, skin, eyes, and the number of people using isotretinoin without a prescription were determined.

Results

Four hundred and twenty seven acne vulgaris patients (mean age: 25.0 years, female: 83%) were included in this study. Of the 57% subjects who used isotretinoin, 45.12% patients showed relapse. The daily dose of oral isotretinoin of 20 and 40 mg/day was taken by 80% in both group of patients, and the mean duration of isotretinoin use was 7.15(±4.5) months. Those patients who were taking higher doses of oral isotretinoin reported having more relapses.

Although a majority of patients received the medication through prescription, unfortunately, they were not aware of relapse and side effects.

Conclusion

Almost half of the patients showed relapse of acne after using isotretinoin. A lack of understanding regarding relapse and side effects indicates a need to improve public and professional awareness of isotretinoin.

中文翻译：

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使用异维A酸的沙特寻常痤疮患者痤疮复发的患病率和相关危险因素

背景

寻常痤疮是一种自限性疾病，可能会影响患者的生活质量。治疗痤疮最有效的选择是异维A酸。然而，完成异维A酸疗程后的不良反应和痤疮复发是治疗依从性和依从性的主要障碍。

方法

作者使用自我管理的问卷进行了横断面研究。评估了沙特患者使用异维A酸后痤疮复发的患病率和风险因素。此外，还确定了停止治疗的原因、对异维A酸使用相关致畸性的认识程度、肝酶损伤、口干、皮肤、眼睛等副作用以及未经处方使用异维A酸的人数。

结果

本研究包括 427 名寻常痤疮患者（平均年龄：25.0 岁，女性：83%）。在使用异维A酸的 57% 受试者中，45.12% 的患者出现复发。两组患者每日口服异维A酸20和40 mg/d的比例为80%，异维A酸平均使用时间为7.15(±4.5)个月。那些服用更高剂量口服异维A酸的患者报告有更多的复发。

尽管大多数患者通过处方接受药物治疗，但不幸的是，他们并没有意识到复发和副作用。

结论

几乎一半的患者在使用异维A酸后出现痤疮复发。对复发和副作用缺乏了解表明需要提高公众和专业人士对异维A酸的认识。