Systemic treatment of severe forms of acne: experience of using Isotretinoin in the Russian Federation

Abstract

The article presents the results of a large-scale Russian program of the follow-up and treatment of acne patients with Isotretinoin (Roaccutane). The analysis of the results included information about 1,349 acne patients. In 71% of patients, the therapy was initiated at the dose of 0.5-1.0 mg/kg of the body weight. The average duration of treatment was 21.5±0.16 weeks while the average course dose was 119.9±0.8 mg/kg of the body weight. As many as 96% of patients achieved a positive result; women demonstrated a higher improvement rate than men. On the whole, Roaccutane was well-tolerated while adverse effects included dry lips (43.4%), dry skin in different areas (12.45%), retinoid dermatitis (6.45%), epistaxis (2.45%), conjunctivitis (1.41%) and hoarseness (0.22%). The Russian experience of using Roaccutane confirmed high efficacy of the systemic therapy for severe forms of acne.