Low-dose isotretinoin therapy and blood lipid abnormality: A case series with sixty patients

BACKGROUND: prolonged isotretinoin therapy for various skin diseases causes change in various parameters of lipid profile. Aim: to find out the effect of low dose isotretinoin on various parameters of lipid profile. METHODS: A clinic based observational study with 60 patients of various skin diseases carried out in a skin outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in eastern India. Patients were prescribed isotretinoin for relevant indications. Baseline lipid profile was checked and repeated after three months. The results were compared with the baseline lipid levels. RESULT: Out of 60 patients (male-32, female-28) hyperlipidemia was present in 25% (15 out of 60) patients at the end of three month's therapy. Among the hyperlipidemia, hyper triglyceridemia was the commonest (16.67%, 10 out of 60 patients) followed by elevation of VLDL (11.67%, 7 out of 60 patients), elevation of LDL (10%, 6 out of 60), hypercholesterolemia (5%, 3 out of 60). Combination of hyperlipidemia was present in 11.67% patients. Among the male patients 28.12%, while in females 21.43% had hyperlipidemia at the end of the study. Among the hyperlipidemic females, hypertriglyceridemia was present in 83.3% (5 out of 6) of patients, while in male it was 55.5% (5 out of 9 patients). CONCLUSION: Low dose Isotretinoin therapy causes variable rise in various parameters of lipid profile. It should be used cautiously in patient with risk factors of metabolic syndrome and frequent monitoring of serum lipid profile is needed.