Evaluation of hirsutism and hormonal parameters in acne vulgaris patients treated with isotretinoin

Abstract

Background Although the effect of isotretinoin use on hormonal changes in acne pathogenesis is not fully known, there are limited studies on its effects on the development of hirsutism. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the effect of isotretinoin use on hirsutism and hormonal parameters in patients with acne vulgaris. Methods In this study, 30 female acne patients and 30 healthy females were evaluated prospectively. Menstrual irregularity, LH, FSH, prolactin, progesterone, 17-OH progesterone, oestradiol, total testosterone, DHEA-S, insulin, glucose, TSH levels, Ferriman-Gallwey (FG) score and ultrasonography (USG) findings of control group and patient group were recorded. Results Pre-treatment progesterone (P = .007) and oestradiol (P = .001) levels of the patients were statistically lower than the control group. In the patient group, menstrual irregularity (P < 001) and FG hirsutism score at the third month of treatment were significantly higher than before treatment. In 10% of the patients, there were abnormal findings on pelvic USG in the third month of treatment. Conclusion In our study, it could not be revealed that isotretinoin has a significant effect on pituitary, adrenal hormones and insulin resistance. We found that 3 months of isotretinoin treatment caused an increase in menstrual irregularity and FG hirsutism score.