Month: April 2022

My 19-year-old patient wishes treatment for his chronic acne while waiting for his dermatology appointment. What treatment should I recommend?

FA Manian MD, MPH, , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Irrespective of your patient’s acne severity, a good starting point is over-the-counter topical benzoyl peroxide.1 Benzoyl peroxide not only kills the bacteria that causes acne (Cutibacterium acnes) through the release of free oxygen radicals, but also functions as a comedolytic.2

If your patient’s acne is mild to moderate (defined as non-inflammatory lesions [comedones] or less than 5 inflammatory lesions [papulopustules]), you may consider prescribing a topical retinoid such as tretinoin 0.025%, adapalene 0.1%, or tazarotene 0.05% in combination with the benzoyl peroxide.1,3 These agents have been shown to have both comedolytic and anti-inflammatory effects, and are the cornerstone of topical therapy for all acne cases, save for the most mild.1,4

In moderate to severe acne (defined as multiple inflammatory lesions), you can consider prescribing an oral antibiotic in combination with the retinoid and benzoyl peroxide.1,3 The first-line therapy in this situation is often a tetracycline, such as daily doxycycline in the 1.7 to 2.4 mg/kg dose range.5,6 

As with all medications, please familiarize yourself with contraindications and adverse side effects of these drugs before prescribing (eg, doxycycline-related photosensitivity or adverse impact on GI flora, or avoiding tretinoin in pregnancy).

For extremely severe acne (defined as widespread inflammatory lesions, nodules, and/or scarring), you should consider referral to a dermatologist for Accutane (isotretinoin) treatment.3 However, the aforementioned treatment options should be sufficient to control your patient’s symptoms until seen by a dermatologist!           

Bonus Pearl: Did you know that besides anabolic-androgenic steroids, dietary supplements containing vitamins B6/B12, iodine and whey have also been linked to acne?7

Contributed by Aditya Nellore, Fourth-Year Medical Student, St. Louis University Medical School, St. Louis, Missouri   

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References:

  1. Zaenglein AL, Pathy AL, Schlosser BJ, Alikhan A, Baldwin HE, Berson DS, Bowe WP, Graber EM, Harper JC, Kang S, Keri JE, Leyden JJ, Reynolds RV, Silverberg NB, Stein Gold LF, Tollefson MM, Weiss JS, Dolan NC, Sagan AA, Stern M, Boyer KM, Bhushan R. Guidelines of care for the management of acne vulgaris. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2016 May;74(5):945-73.e33. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2015.12.037. Epub 2016 Feb 17. Erratum in: J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020 Jun;82(6):1576. PMID: 26897386. https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(15)02614-6/fulltext#tbl6
  2. Cunliffe WJ, Holland KT. The effect of benzoyl peroxide on acne. Acta Derm Venereol. 1981;61(3):267-9. PMID: 6167116. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6167116/
  3. Purdy S, Deberker D. Acne vulgaris. BMJ Clin Evid. 2008 May 15;2008:1714. PMID: 19450306; PMCID: PMC2907987. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2907987/
  4. Cunliffe WJ, Caputo R, Dreno B, Förström L, Heenen M, Orfanos CE, Privat Y, Robledo Aguilar A, Meynadier J, Alirezai M, Jablonska S, Shalita A, Weiss JS, Chalker DK, Ellis CN, Greenspan A, Katz HI, Kantor I, Millikan LE, Swinehart JM, Swinyer L, Whitmore C, Czernielewski J, Verschoore M. Clinical efficacy and safety comparison of adapalene gel and tretinoin gel in the treatment of acne vulgaris: Europe and U.S. multicenter trials. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1997 Jun;36(6 Pt 2):S126-34. doi: 10.1016/s0190-9622(97)70056-2. PMID: 9204091. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9204091/
  5. Tan J, Humphrey S, Vender R, Barankin B, Gooderham M, Kerrouche N, Audibert F, Lynde C; POWER study group. A treatment for severe nodular acne: a randomized investigator-blinded, controlled, noninferiority trial comparing fixed-dose adapalene/benzoyl peroxide plus doxycycline vs. oral isotretinoin. Br J Dermatol. 2014 Dec;171(6):1508-16. doi: 10.1111/bjd.13191. Epub 2014 Oct 28. PMID: 24934963. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24934963/
  6. Leyden, James J., et al. “A randomized, phase 2, dose-ranging study in the treatment of moderate to severe inflammatory facial acne vulgaris with doxycycline calcium.” Journal of Drugs in Dermatology: JDD6 (2013): 658-663. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23839182/
  7. Zamil DH, Perez-Sanchez A, Katta R. Acne related to dietary supplements. Dermatol Online J. 2020 Aug 15;26(8):13030/qt9rp7t2p2. PMID: 32941710. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32941710/

Disclosures: The listed questions and answers are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of Mercy Hospital-St. Louis, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Catalyst, Harvard University, their affiliate academic healthcare centers, or its contributors. Although every effort has been made to provide accurate information, the author is far from being perfect. The reader is urged to verify the content of the material with other sources as deemed appropriate and exercise clinical judgment in the interpretation and application of the information provided herein. No responsibility for an adverse outcome or guarantees for a favorable clinical result is assumed by the author. Thank you!

My 19-year-old patient wishes treatment for his chronic acne while waiting for his dermatology appointment. What treatment should I recommend?

Is there a connection between nocturia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)?

FA Manian MD, MPH, , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Absolutely! Although seemingly unrelated medical conditions, nocturia is commonly associated with OSA. [1,2]

A retrospective study [1] (n = 138) reported pathologic nocturia (≥2 urination events per night) in 47.8% of patients with OSA-hypopnea-syndrome. In this study, nocturia was linked to increasing age, 02 desaturation and severity of OSA. In another study (n=30), OSA (defined as apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] ≥5) was diagnosed in 66% of patients with nocturia with increasing nocturia associated with higher AHI.[2]

Recall that repetitive apnea episodes in OSA expose cardiovascular system to cycles of exaggerated negative intrathoracic pressure. [3] This causes myocardial stretching which is likely the reason OSA has been linked to elevated nocturnal atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels. [4] In turn, ANP as an aldosterone inhibitor, increases salt and water excretion causing nocturia. Of interest, use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been shown to normalize ANP levels [5] which may explain CPAP’s favorable impact on the frequency of nocturia based on a meta-analysis. [6]

Although the role of screening for OSA in nocturia remains unclear, OSA should be considered in the differential diagnosis of nocturia, especially in men and women younger than 50 years of age. [7,8]

Bonus pearl: Did you know that OSA has been associated with recreational MDMA (“ecstasy”) use, with severity of OSA correlating with lifetime MDMA exposure? [9]

Contributed by Fahad Tahir, MD, Mercy Hospital-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri

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References:

  1. Hajduk IA, Strollo PJ Jr, Jasani RR, Atwood CW Jr, Houck PR, Sanders MH. Prevalence and predictors of nocturia in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome–a retrospective study. Sleep. 2003 Feb 1;26(1):61-4. PMID: 12627734. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12627734/
  2. Umlauf MG, Chasens ER, Greevy RA, Arnold J, Burgio KL, Pillion DJ. Obstructive sleep apnea, nocturia and polyuria in older adults. Sleep. 2004 Feb 1;27(1):139-44. doi: 10.1093/sleep/27.1.139. PMID: 14998251.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14998251/
  3. Bradley TD, Floras JS. Obstructive sleep apnoea and its cardiovascular consequences. Lancet. 2009 Jan 3;373(9657):82-93. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61622-0. Epub 2008 Dec 26. PMID: 19101028. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(08)61622-0/fulltext
  4. Svatikova A, Shamsuzzaman AS, Wolk R, Phillips BG, Olson LJ, Somers VK. Plasma brain natriuretic peptide in obstructive sleep apnea. Am J Cardiol. 2004 Aug 15;94(4):529-32. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2004.05.010. PMID: 15325948. https://www.ajconline.org/article/S0002-9149(04)00730-1/fulltext/
  5. Krieger J, Laks L, Wilcox I, Grunstein RR, Costas LJ, McDougall JG, Sullivan CE. Atrial natriuretic peptide release during sleep in patients with obstructive sleep apnea before and during treatment with nasal continuous positive airway pressure. Clin Sci (Lond). 1989 Oct;77(4):407-11. doi: 10.1042/cs0770407. PMID: 2530023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2530023/
  6. Wang T, Huang W, Zong H, Zhang Y. The Efficacy of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapy on Nocturia in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int Neurourol J. 2015 Sep;19(3):178-84. doi: 10.5213/inj.2015.19.3.178. Epub 2015 Sep 22. PMID: 26620900; PMCID: PMC4582090. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26620900/
  7. Lowenstein L, Kenton K, Brubaker L, Pillar G, Undevia N, Mueller ER, FitzGerald MP. The relationship between obstructive sleep apnea, nocturia, and daytime overactive bladder syndrome in women. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008 May;198(5):598.e1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2008.02.024. PMID: 18455544. https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(08)00168-3/fulltext
  8. Moriyama Y, Miwa K, Tanaka H, Fujihiro S, Nishino Y, Deguchi T. Nocturia in men less than 50 years of age may be associated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Urology. 2008 Jun;71(6):1096-8. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2008.02.038. Epub 2008 Apr 8. PMID: 18400277.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18400277/
  9. McCann UD, Sgambati FP, Schwartz AR, Ricaurte GA. Sleep apnea in young abstinent recreational MDMA (“ecstasy”) consumers. Neurology. 2009 Dec 8;73(23):2011-7. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181c51a62. Epub 2009 Dec 2. PMID: 19955499; PMCID: PMC2790228. https://n.neurology.org/content/73/23/2011.long

 

Disclosures: The listed questions and answers are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of Mercy Hospital-St. Louis, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Catalyst, Harvard University, their affiliate academic healthcare centers, or its contributors. Although every effort has been made to provide accurate information, the author is far from being perfect. The reader is urged to verify the content of the material with other sources as deemed appropriate and exercise clinical judgment in the interpretation and application of the information provided herein. No responsibility for an adverse outcome or guarantees for a favorable clinical result is assumed by the author. Thank you!

 

 

 

Is there a connection between nocturia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)?