Zhu YX, Wu L, Zhu SC, Wang XP, Zhang D, Tan YP, Ouyang XL, Li CM. Re-evaluating the necessity of routine laboratory monitoring during isotretinoin therapy for acne. World J Clin Cases 2024; 12(28): 6237-6240 [PMID: 39371553 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i28.6237]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Chun-Ming Li, PhD, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, No. 1 Minde Road, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China. chunminglincu@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Dermatology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Yun-Xia Zhu, Liang Wu, Sheng-Cai Zhu, Xiu-Ping Wang, Deng Zhang, Chun-Ming Li, Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
Yan-Ping Tan, Department of Dermatology, Jiangxi Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Nanchang 330000, Jiangxi Province, China
Xiao-Liang Ouyang, Department of Plastic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Xiao-Liang Ouyang and Chun-Ming Li.
Author contributions: Zhu YX participated in data collection and manuscript writing; Wu L and Zhu SC contributed to data analysis; Wang XP, Zhang D, and Tan YP contributed to conceptualization and supervision; Ouyang XL contributed to conceptualization and supervision; Li CM contributed to manuscript polishing and editing; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript. Both Ouyang XL and Li CM have played important and indispensable roles in the writing and editing of the manuscript and review of the literature as the co-corresponding authors. Ouyang XL conceptualized and supervised the whole process of the project. He searched the literature, and revised and submitted the early version of the manuscript. Li CM was instrumental and responsible for polishing, editing, and submission of the current version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Chun-Ming Li, PhD, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Dermatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, No. 1 Minde Road, Nanchang 330006, Jiangxi Province, China. chunminglincu@163.com
Received: April 25, 2024 Revised: July 23, 2024 Accepted: August 2, 2024 Published online: October 6, 2024 Processing time: 109 Days and 15.7 Hours
Abstract
In this letter, we discuss the topic of necessity of routine laboratory monitoring during isotretinoin treatment for acne. According to Park and colleagues, it is advisable to monitor the levels of triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase every 5 to 6 months. Additionally, the levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein should be checked within the first two months of treatment. Isotretinoin is a commonly prescribed agent mainly used to treat acne. Despite its high effectiveness, it necessitates regular monitoring of laboratory parameters due to its side effect profile. Currently, there remains a lack of consensus on the appropriate frequency for monitoring these parameters during treatment with isotretinoin. This letter will provide insight into this complex and controversial topic. Based on existing literature, we concluded that the incidence of changes in lipid and liver aminotransferase levels during isotretinoin treatment for acne was low and likely clinically insignificant. For generally healthy people, we recommend testing lipid and liver profiles once at baseline and a second time at the peak dosage. However, frequent testing might still be beneficial in certain populations of patients.
Core Tip: In this letter we comment on the article Park et al. Currently, there is a lack of consensus of the frequency of follow-up of laboratory parameters during isotretinoin treatment. This letter will provide insight into this complex and controversial topic.
