Effects of oral antibiotic roxithromycin on quality of life in acne patients

Abstract

Macrolides are effective for inflammatory acne, but there are not many studies on roxithromycin. In this study, patients with acne were surveyed for improvement of their quality of life after treatment with roxithromycin. Patients were orally given roxithromycin 300 mg daily for 2-4 weeks. At the time of pre- and post-treatment, the dermatologists graded the severity of acne symptoms, and the patients answered questionnaires. In 123 half faces of 76 patients, 80 half faces were improved, 42 half faces were not changed, and one half face was deteriorated. The score of "symptom and feeling" and "leisure" in DLQI-J and "emotions" and "symptoms" in Skindex-29-J were significantly decreased after roxithromycin treatment. Roxithromycin has a therapeutic effect on inflammatory acne and leads to improvement of quality of life in the patients. © 2009 Japanese Dermatological Association.