Case Report: Treatment With Azithromycin For Acne Vulgaris: The Current Scenario

Abstract

Introduction-Acne vulgaris or simply (acne) is a common dermatological problem. It is caused due to Propionibacterium acnes. Oral antibiotics are the widely administered effective drugs, which are prescribed as systemic therapy for treatment of moderate to severe acne vulgaris. Azithromycin is one of the antibiotics that have been recently used for acne treatment. There are several protocols of oral azithromycin in the treatment of acne.Aim-The main objective of this report was to assess the efficacy, safety, tolerability and compliance of 500 mg azithromycin administered thrice weekly for 8 weeks in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Methods-The patient is a 24 year old female diagnosed with Acne vulgaris. The treatment was carried out in Dermatology department of Basaveshwara Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Chitradurga by a dermatologist using special grading system GAGS (Global Acne Grading System). After the baseline visit, patients were scheduled to return at four-weekly intervals for 12 weeks. Efficacy was gauged by the difference between the number of lesions observed at baseline and the number seen in subsequent examinations. Safety assessments included the monitoring of adverse events, compliance and tolerability was checked at the four-weekly regular visits up to 12 weeks. Results-The efficacy of the therapy was evaluated by the results made during treatment. The patient did not have any reduction on the baseline treatment whereas she reported a reduction of acne lesions upto 75% in the 4^rth week, upto 85% in the 8^th week and upto 90% in the 12^th week. Maximum clearance (90%) was observed at 12^th week. On the basis of the whole, the total efficacy of Azithromycin was 83% for the treatment of acne vulgaris. Conclusion-This study concluded that Azithromycin, 500 mg thrice weekly for 8 weeksis a safe and effective treatment for acne vulgaris with excellent patient compliance.

Keywords-Acne vulgaris, Propionibacterium acnes, GAGS, Azithromycin, Compliance