Topical corticosteroid abuse – a prospective clinico-epidemiological study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Misuse of topical corticosteroids (TCs) is a rampant problem in India owing to the easy availability of topical corticosteroids as over the counter preparations. TCs are being widely misused for a wide variety of skin ailments ranging from their use as skin whitening creams to infections like dermatophytoses, acne and even as daily use moisturizing creams. This misuse of TCs can lead to a large number of cutaneous and systemic adverse effects. Aims and objectives: This study was carried out to study the prevalence and patterns of self use of TCs by the general population. Materials and methods: This was a prospective questionnaire based study carried out over a period of one year in our centre in which the patients were questioned and assessed for misuse of TCs in terms of indication, frequency, duration and source of recommendation. Results: A total of 200 patients (M: F 56:144) were included in our study. The age range of patients varied from 18 to 69 years with a mean age of 31.35 years. The most common indication for TCs use in our study was fungal infections (33%), facial pigmentation (26%) and acne (21%), while the most commonly abused corticosteroids were clobetasol (31%), betamethasone (28%) and mometasone (26%). The most common cutaneous adverse effects to TCs seen in our study were tinea incognito (24%), steroid acne (16%), steroid rosacea (11%), hypertrichosis (6%) and striae (4%). Conclusion: TCs misuse in patients is quite common, which can lead to serious adverse effects. Generating awareness among the general population is necessary to curb the menace.