A recent study published in Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that spironolactone improved clinical outcomes and was well tolerated over an extended duration in adult women with acne.
The authors sought to describe the long-term outcomes of patients treated with spironolactone in adults. To do so, they conducted a retrospective case series of 403 women who received spironolactone to treat their acne. Women who were treated at the authors’ academic medical center between 2008 and 2019 were included.
Using the patient data and outcomes, they evaluated both objective and subjective acne clearance. Rates of treatment discontinuation, dosage changes, and drug survival also were evaluated. The association between incidence of menstrual side effects and combined oral contraceptive use was assessed by logistic regression.
In total, 75.5% of patients had reduction or complete clearance of acne on the face as evaluated by Comprehensive Acne Severity Scale (CASS). Further, 84.0% and 80.2% of patietns had a reduction or complete clearance of acne on the chest or back, respectively. For all patients, the mean drug survival was 470.7 days, and menstrual side effects were less common among patients who used oral contraceptives.
Thus, the authors concluded spironolactone improved clinical outcomes for patients who used the therapy for their acne over an extended duration.
Reference
Garg V, Choi JK, James WD, Barbieri JS. Long-term use of spironolactone for acne in women: a case series of 403 patients. J Am Acad Dermatol. Published online January 9, 2021. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2020.12.071
