Effectiveness Of Oral Intermittent Vs Oral Continuous Isotretinoin Therapy in Patients with Moderate to Severe Acne Vulgaris; A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Published in: J. Islamic Int. Med. Coll. 2022-03, Vol.17 (1), p.14-18
• Main Author: Lubna Rani Faysal, Riffat Iqbal, Bilqees Fatima
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1815-4018; 2410-5422

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of oral intermittent Isotretinoin treatment vs daily Isotretinoin therapy in patients with moderate to severe acne vulgaris. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted for 06 months (1st March to 30thAugust 2021) at department of Dermatology, Pakistan railway hospital, Rawalpindi. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 patients with moderate to severe acne selected through random sampling were divided into two groups A & B, each having 50 patients. In Group A, a daily dose of 0.5-0.75mg/kg of oral Isotretinoin was given only for 01 week, every 4th week for 04 months. Group B patients were given the same dose of oral Isotretinoin once daily regularly for 04 months. The clinical improvement was measured as difference in GAGS score calculated before and after the treatment using Global Acne Grading System (GAGS). The results were compared & analysed by using paired t-test. Results: The age, weight, and GAGS scores of the patients in both groups were comparable at the baseline. The GAGS score at baseline was 29.94 + 4.42 in group A, while in group B, the score was 29.84 + 4.69. After 04 months of treatment, the difference in GAGS from baseline in group A was 17.44 + 4.07 in group A compared to 19.09 + 5.02 in group B. The P value of 0.006 was significant to prove the association of results. Conclusion: The oral intermittent Isotretinoin therapy is more effective than daily continuous Isotretinoin therapy in patients with moderate to severe acne vulgaris.