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Can oral isotretinoin be safely initiated and monitored in primary care? A case series

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Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -) Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Oral isotretinoin has traditionally been prescribed only in secondary care for severe or resistant acne.

Aims

To explore whether this drug can be safely initiated and monitored in primary care by a GP with extra training in dermatology.

Method

One hundred consecutive patients who were started on oral isotretinoin therapy in a primary care centre were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

One hundred percent of the patients with acne who completed their course of isotretinoin were cleared at the end of treatment. Twenty-three of the eighty-one patients (28%) who were followed-up after a mean of 5 years relapsed and eighteen (22%) had to have at least one more course of isotretinoin. Seventy-four of seventy-seven (96%) patients who had long-term follow-up were satisfied with the level of care they received in primary care.

Conclusion

This study suggests that oral isotretinoin can be safely initiated and monitored by a GP with a special interest in dermatology and experience in prescribing systemic retinoids.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all our patients who co-operated with us in completing this important work. We would also like to Tadhg O’ Shea (Institute of Technology, Tralee) who assisted with statistical analysis. Finally, we would like to thank our local GP colleagues who entrusted their patients to our care for the management of their troublesome acne.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Ashe Street Clinic, Tralee, Co., Kerry, Ireland

    D. Buckley & S. Yoganathan

Authors
  1. D. Buckley
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  2. S. Yoganathan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. Buckley.

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Conflict of interest

None.

Ethical approval

This was obtained from the Clinical Research and Ethics Committee, University College Cork, Ireland.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants in the study.

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Buckley, D., Yoganathan, S. Can oral isotretinoin be safely initiated and monitored in primary care? A case series. Ir J Med Sci 186, 315–319 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-016-1540-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-016-1540-5

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