13-cis-Retinoic acid (isotretinoin) unmasking of clinical polycystic ovary syndrome.

OBJECTIVE

To describe a woman in whom polycystic ovary syndrome manifested during treatment with 13-cis-retinoic acid (isotretinoin) for severe acne.

METHODS

We present serial clinical and biochemical findings for a several month period before, during, and after therapy with 13-cis-retinoic acid. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance was calculated from the fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations.

RESULTS

A 32-year-old woman with some past features suggestive of metabolic syndrome took 13-cis-retinoic acid for 20 weeks as treatment of nodulocystic acne. During therapy, amenorrhea and hirsutism developed, as well as biochemical evidence of hyperandrogenemia and insulin resistance, as assessed by homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. After discontinuation of the medication, both the clinical features and the laboratory abnormalities resolved.

CONCLUSION

13-cis-Retinoic acid likely causes insulin resistance through its role as an agonist of retinoid A and X receptors. Although elevated levels of serum triglycerides are well documented with use of this drug, to the best of our knowledge this is the first report of a patient in whom polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition known to be associated with insulin resistance, manifested during isotretinoin therapy.