Effects of Isotretinoin Treatment on Sleep and Quality of Life in Patients with Acne Vulgaris

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to investigate the effect of isotretinoin treatment on sleep and quality of life in patients with AV. Methods: 109 total patients who identified as 66 AV patients attended the dermatology outpatient clinic and started isotretinoin treatment, and 43 healthy controls, were enrolled in the study. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), short form-36 (SF-36), and Global Acne Grading System (GAGS) were administered to all patients twice; before and two months after the treatment. The results were compared with the healthy control group. Results: The pretreatment physical health scores of the patients were significantly higher than the healthy controls. No significant differences were observed between before-after isotretinoin treatment regarding physical and mental health scores in AV patients. While there were no significant differences between the pretreatment and healthy control group in terms of total PSQI scores; the scores of sleep duration were significantly lower in the pretreatment group. No significant differences were observed between before-after isotretinoin treatment regarding total PSQI and subcomponent scores in AV patients. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between pre- and post-treatment total PSQI scores and physical, mental health scores in patients with AV. Conclusion: Results of the present study suggest that isotretinoin therapy does not affect the sleep quality in patients with AV. The impairment of sleep quality negatively affects the quality of life in patients with AV. More comprehensive studies assessing the effect of isotretinoin treatment on sleep quality are needed.