Comparison of Three Different Regimens of Oral Azithromycin in the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris



Naieni FF¹ ; Akrami H^{2, 3} Show Affiliations
Source: Journal of Isfahan Medical School Published:2012

Abstract

Background: Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease that involves pilosebaceous units. Orally administered antibiotics are the most widely systemic therapeutics prescribed for the treatment of moderate to severe acne vulgaris. Azithromycin is among the antibiotics that have been recently used in acne treatment. There are several protocols for oral administration of azithromycin. Our aim was to compare three different oral regimens of azithromycin in the treatment of acne vulgaris. Methods: Sixty-four patients with moderate to severe acne were divided into three groups randomly. First group (21 patients) received azithromycin as follows: five consecutive days per month, 500 mg on the first day and 250 mg daily for the next four days. Second group (22 patients) received 500 mg daily for four consecutive days per month and the last group (21 patients) was administered 250 mg daily thrice weekly. After the baseline visit, patients were scheduled to return at four-weekly intervals for 12 weeks. Findings: Oral azithromycin in all groups resulted in a significant decrease in acne grading score in consecutive visits (P < 0.001). There was no difference between the three groups in the decreasing trend of acne grading score (P > 0.05). The efficacy of the minimum dose was equal to the maximum dose of azithromycin in our experiment. Conclusion: Because of the high cost of azithromycin, we recommend administering lower doses (1500 mg/month), which is as effective as higher doses (3000 mg/month) and has better compliance and fewer side-effects. © 2012, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.