Isotretinoin and IBD — large real‑world data offer reassurance
In one of our recent JDD articles, a retrospective cohort using the TriNetX network compared acne patients exposed to long‑term, low‑dose isotretinoin with matched unexposed controls over 6-10 years. After propensity matching (61,894 pairs), isotretinoin was not associated with a higher risk of inflammatory bowel disease overall or ulcerative colitis, and was linked to a lower hazard of Crohn’s disease; secondary GI endpoints were similar between groups and lipid elevations were transient.
As an observational study, residual confounding and coding/ascertainment biases are possible, so these findings are reassuring but not definitive. For clinicians, this evidence can inform patient counseling about long‑term isotretinoin, reinforce routine lipid monitoring, and prompt baseline GI symptom screening.
Read the full JDD article for methods, subgroup analyses, and practical takeaways before changing practice.
J Drugs Dermatol. 2025;24(12):1168-1172. doi:10.36849/JDD.9168
Blog write-up assisted by AI
