Efficacy and safety of Oral Azithromycin in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Acne Vulgaris
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21649/akemu.v17i4.582Abstract
Abstract
Background: Acne is a very common skin disorder in our society. Azithromycin, an oral macrolide, has been found to be a new treatment for this disease.
Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of alter-nate day oral azithromycin 500 mg in the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris.
Design: A quasi - experimental study.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was con-ducted at the Department of Dermatology, Unit - I, KEMU / Mayo Hospital, Lahore, during the six mon-ths period from 11th April to 10th October, 2009.
Subjects and Methods: One hundred and twenty patients of acne vulgaris were enrolled and baseline lesions were recorded. All patients were advised to take azithromycin 500 mg thrice a week orally for a period of 8 weeks after which they were followed up for the next 8 weeks at 2 weeks interval. The mean facial lesion count at baseline and after 8 weeks thera-py was performed in all the cases. The treatment was considered excellent if there was clearance of >80% of lesions, good at 50 - 80% clearance and poor if there was clearance of < 50% of lesions. The safety of treat-ment administered was assessed on the basis of local or systemic side effects of the drug.Results: Out of 120 evaluable patients, there were 53 males and 67 females. Mean age of the patients was 21.2 ± 4.1 years. The mean facial lesion count after 8 weeks therapy was much reduced. The treatment reve-aled an excellent response in 79 (66%) patients, good in 31 (26%) and poor in 10 (8%) cases. Azithromycin was well tolerated by all the patients.
Conclusion: Azithromycin 500mg thrice weekly for 8 weeks is found to be an effective and safe treatment for acne vulgaris.
Key Words: Acne, vulgaris, azithromycin, macrolide.
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