Isotretinoina y depresión...

Source: DGNews  |  Posted 3 days ago

Isotretinoin Does Not Increase the Risk of Depression in Patients With Acne

: Presented at AAD

Tags:

• Acne
• Depression

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By Marielle Fares, Pharm. D

WASHINGTON, DC -- March 7, 2019 -- Real-world data presented here at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) showed no significant difference in the frequency of depression between patients with acne who were exposed to isotretinoin and those who were not.

The findings, suggest that isotretinoin is not an independent risk factor for depression in patients with acne.

"There has been mixed evidence and much debate around the impact of isotretinoin on mood change," said Bethanee Schlosser, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois. "There's also a lot of misinformation out there, particularly on social media, so we hope this large-scale study can shed some light on the issue."

Previous studies have suggested a correlation between isotretinoin exposure in patients with severe acne and the occurrence of mood disorders, including depression and suicidal ideation. However, the results of these studies have been inconclusive.

"No studies to date have established a causal relationship between isotretinoin and depression," said Dr. Schlosser.

For the current study the researchers evaluated medical records for more than 38,000 patients aged 18 to 65 years who were diagnosed with acne between January 2001 and December 2017.

Of the patients treated with isotretinoin, 41 (3.77%) were diagnosed with depression, compared with 1,775 (4.81%) patients with acne not treated with isotretinoin.

Dr. Schlosser said that the presence of acne in itself can cause substantial psychological trauma, and isotretinoin can relieve this condition and its associated mood disorders, although the drug's effect on mood is limited.

She noted that more research in this area is necessary.

[Presentation title: Frequency of Depression in Dermatologist-Managed Patients Who Have Acne, Isotretinoin-Exposure vs No Isotretinoin Exposure: Pharmacovigilance Analysis of a Large Midwestern US Population From the RADAR (Research on Adverse Drug Events and Reports) Program. Abstract 8292]