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INTRODUCTION: Systemic isotretinoin is the most effective treatment modality in acne vulgaris; however, both patients and physicians hesitate to use it due its side effects. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of fatigue, myalgia and low back pain during systemic isotretinoin treatment; and to determine their relationship with age, gender, treatment duration, daily isotretinoin dose and isotretinoin-naiveness of the patient. METHODS: This is a cross sectional study including the acne vulgaris patients, aged between 13 to 40 years, who have at least received one month of oral isotretinoin treatment. Patients were questioned for side effects during their follow-up visits; a physical therapy and rehabilitation specialist further evaluated patients complaining of low back pain. RESULTS: Fatigue was reported by 4.4% of the patients, myalgia by 2.8% and low back pain by 25% of the patients; 2.2% had inflammatory and 22.8% had mechanical low back pain. None of the patients had sacroiliitis. All the side effects that were examined were found to be independent of age, gender, isotretinoin dosage (mg/kg/day), treatment duration and isotretinoin-naiveness. CONCLUSIONS: The side effects are not as common as feared; thus, patients and physicians should not hesitate to use systemic isotretinoin in indicated cases.
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BACKGROUND: Rosacea may contribute to the development of cardiovascular (CV) diseases by causing endothelial dysfunction (ED), which is known to be the initial step of atherosclerosis, due to its inflammatory features. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess ED in rosacea patients using the flow-mediated dilatation (=dilation) (FMD) method. METHODS: Seventy-three rosacea patients and 73 age, gender-matched healthy volunteers were enrolled. Individuals with cardiac risk factors, pregnant, and lactating women were excluded. Demographic, clinical data and anthropometric measurements were recorded. FMD measurement was performed ultrasonographically by a cardiologist. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures (BP) were measured and hemogram, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-Reactive Protein (CRP), total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), mean platelet volume (MPV), and fasting blood glucose values were assessed. RESULTS: The FMD value was statistically lower in rosacea patients compared with healthy controls (p = 0.000). Metabolic syndrome, systolic and diastolic BPs, and plasma NLR were higher in the rosacea group (p = 0.009, p = 0.000, p = 0.000, p = 0.000, respectively). According to the multivariate linear regression analysis, rosacea type significantly predicted FMD. CONCLUSIONS: Rosacea is not only a disease limited to the skin, but it may also have systemic involvement. A significant difference was found between FMD values measured in between the case and control groups, suggesting rosacea may have an atherogenic effect. Possible cardiac risks should be considered in rosacea patients, and further evaluation could be warranted.
