Comparison of the efficacy of 5% topical spironolactone gel and placebo in the treatment of mild and moderate acne vulgaris: a randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND
Topical spironolactone may be effective for the treatment of acne patients with increased sebum secretion.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy of 5% spironolactone gel in the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris.


METHODS
This study was a double-blind clinical trial, performed randomly in two demographically equivalent groups. In this study, 78 patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris participated. The patients, as groups of cases (38 patients) and controls (40 patients), took 5% spironolactone gel and placebo, respectively. The response to treatment was evaluated by the total acne lesions (TLC) and acne severity index (ASI).


RESULTS
The mean age of the case patients was 21.5 ± 4.2 years and of the control patients was 22.2 ± 4.06 years. The difference in TLC was statistically significant between the two groups (p = 0.007), but no statistically significant difference was seen between the two groups for ASI (p = 0.052).


CONCLUSIONS
The 5% spironolactone topical gel resulted in a decrease in the TLC in acne vulgaris, while it had no significant efficacy in the ASI.
Department of Dermatology, Islamic Azad University of Tehran Medical Branch, Tehran, Iran.
Bahare Malek
BM
Afzali
Elena
E
Yaghoobi
Reza
R
Yaghoobi
Nooshin
N
Bagherani
Mohammad Ali
MA
Dabbagh
D000152:Acne Vulgaris / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005782:Gels; D006801:Humans; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013148:Spironolactone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055815:Young Adult
D005782:Gels; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists; D013148:Spironolactone