Germany: A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, JAAD, has concluded that Isotretinoin may slightly increase the risk of ulcerative colitis, but it does not increase the risk of Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

A controversy exists between the risk of inflammatory bowel disease and Isotretinoin. There needs to be more data and investigations required to determine the burden of isotretinoin-related irritable bowel syndrome.

A team of researchers led by Khalaf Kridin, MD, PhD, Lübeck Institute of Experimental Dermatology, evaluated the risk of Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis (UC), and irritable bowel syndrome in patients who presented with acne and started Isotretinoin vs oral antibiotics treatment.

The study summary includes the following:

The researchers evaluated the outcomes in patients with acne undergoing treatment with Isotretinoin versus those on oral antibiotics.

They said we found a marginal increase in the risk of a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis (UC) during the first six months of isotretinoin treatment.

There was no increase in the risk of Crohn's disease.

Patients treated with Isotretinoin had a lower risk of irritable bowel syndrome.

Kridin, Khalaf, and Ralf J. Ludwig. "Isotretinoin and the Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Large-scale Global Study." Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Elsevier BV, Dec. 2022. Crossref,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2022.12.015

Dr. Aditi Yadav is a BDS, MDS in Periodontics and Implantology. She has a clinical experience of 5 years as a laser dental surgeon. She also has a Diploma in clinical research and pharmacovigilance and is a Certified data scientist. She is currently working as a content developer in e-health services. Dr. Yadav has a keen interest in Medical Journalism and is actively involved in Medical Research writing.