A study on the prescribing pattern of drugs for acne in a tertiary care teaching hospital in odisha.

BACKGROUND

Acne vulgaris is a common disease of the skin affecting the socially vulnerable young age group. There are multitudes of treatment options available but till now no studies have been reported to demonstrate the current prescribing pattern of drugs in acne vulgaris.

AIM: To study the prescribing pattern of drugs in acne in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Odisha, India.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

The study was an observational study conducted for a period of one year on patients more than 10 yeras age and having acne attending the Skin & VD OPD. Drug induced acne and acneiform eruptions were excluded.

RESULTS

A total of 1210 prescriptions of acne were analysed. The male to female ratio was 1:1.29. Most patients presented with grade 2 (60%) acne followed by grade 3 (20.99%). Out of prescribed drugs, 47.44% were oral and 52.56% were topical formulations. Oral isotretinoin (68.10%) was the most frequently prescribed drug among oral formulations. Doxycycline (54.18%) was the most preferable oral antibiotic. The average number of drugs per prescription was 3.003. Polypharmacy was preferred over monotherapy.

CONCLUSION

In the management of acne, judicious and early intervention with oral isotretinoin improves the overall treatment outcome, the fact which has increased its use in acne patients.