Isotretinoin (Accutane) and ulcerous colitis
Publisher:
An Sist Sanit Navar.
Date Published:
2004 May-Aug;27(2):241-3.
Research:
Isotretinoin is a drug obtained from retinoid acid, often used for the
treatment of different types of acne. The way it acts on the
dermo-epidermis has not been clearly described. Different studies
reporting a relation, proportional or inverse, between isotretinoin and
the occurrence or reactivation of an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
have been found in the literature. Although there are several
hypotheses about how this substance can affect the bowel mucous in the
pathogenesis of the disease, none of them are definitive. We present a
new case where the mentioned relation was evident. Therefore we suggest
that when a patient treated with this isomer presents symptoms
suggesting IBD, an endoscopic procedure should be performed in order to
rule out inflammatory mucous changes.