Purpose
The necessity of serum potassium monitoring for healthy women who are prescribed spironolactone for acne has been debated. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of hyperkalemia in women 18 to 45 years of age to that in women 46 to 65 years of age, when treated with oral spironolactone for acne.
Methods and materials
Data for all women 18 to 65 years of age who were prescribed oral spironolactone by a dermatologist for acne between January 2006 and October 2016 were extracted for analysis. Retrospective data were included for women who exhibited baseline serum potassium within the normal limits and who had repeat serum potassium monitoring within 12 months after initiation of spironolactone. The rate of incident hyperkalemia was determined.
Results
Of 618 women who received spironolactone for acne, 133 had serum potassium monitoring both before and after spironolactone initiation. Nine were excluded due to confounding comorbidities. Of the remaining 124 women, the mean age at initiation of spironolactone was 32 years (range, 18-57 years); 112 women were in the 18 to 45 years age group, and 12 were in the 46 to 65 years age group. All women had serum potassium within normal limits at baseline. Women in the 46 to 65 years age group had a significantly higher rate of incident hyperkalemia after spironolactone initiation compared with women 18 to 45 years of age (2 of 12 women [16.7%] vs. 1 of 112 women [< 1%];
p
= .0245).
Conclusions
Although controversy surrounds the clinical utility of serum potassium monitoring in healthy women exposed to spironolactone for acne, based on the findings from this large patient population, monitoring of serum potassium is warranted for women over 45 years of age given an age-related greater risk of hyperkalemia.
Introduction: There is a paucity of prevalence data for genital angiokeratomas in adults. The objective of this article is to determine prevalence of genital angiokeratomas in adults as a function of sex, age, and race/ethnicity. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over 11 months during 2013 and 2014 using a convenience sample of adult men and women consenting to genital examination during melanoma screening and surveillance by a senior dermatologist in an outpatient clinic. The analysis was conducted from April through December 2016. Results: Of 213 white/European American adults examined (127 men and 86 women), genital angiokeratomas were detected in 30.0% (64/213). Presence of at least one genital angiokeratoma was significantly associated with male sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-4.5; P < .001) and age older than 50 years (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.7-6.7; P = .008). Conclusions: Genital angiokeratomas are relatively common in adults of white/European American origin and important to recognize because of their benign nature and occasional confusion with other tumors.
Background/ObjectivesLittle research has compared clinician acne severity assessment with either adolescent‐ or parent‐rated scales of acne severity or impact on quality of life (QOL). We sought to assess how adolescents and their parents perceive the severity and impact of acne on the adolescent's QOL and correlate this with clinical severity.MethodsEach adolescent and a parent completed a validated QOL survey regarding the adolescent's acne and rated the adolescent's acne severity and QOL impact using a Likert scale. Clinicians assessed the adolescent's acne using a standardized acne severity scale. Statistical analysis compared adolescent scores with respective parent scores or with clinician assessment using a paired t test or Spearman rank‐order correlation test.ResultsThe Likert impact score more accurately reflected acne impact on QOL for adolescents than for parents when considering the validated QOL survey as the gold standard (r2 = .56 vs r2 = .36). Likert scores for adolescents and parents were weakly correlated for acne severity but not for acne QOL impact (r2 = .36 vs r2 = .18). Correlations of acne severity scores between clinician and either adolescent or parent were weak.ConclusionsParents and adolescents are in relative agreement regarding acne severity and QOL impact. However, parent and adolescent perceptions are disparate from clinician acne assessment. It is important that physicians identify and consider adolescent and parent perceptions in addition to clinical assessment to better inform the approach to acne management.
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