Relationship between pediatric isotretinoin treatment and adult body height in acne patients

Summary: Abstract Body: Given existing reports of premature epiphyseal closure in patients treated with isotretinoin, this research aims to investigate the relationship between pediatric isotretinoin use and adult body height in acne patients and differences in the nature of this relationship by patient sex and age at first isotretinoin treatment. The study uses a retrospective cohort approach, with data obtained from the TriNetX research network. Cohorts of male and female acne patients with a history of treatment with isotretinoin at multiple pediatric age ranges (≤18 years) were obtained and the mean adult body height of each cohort was compared with that of a corresponding doxycycline-treated control cohort. Cohorts included 10,300 male patients with isotretinoin treatment at any age ≤18 years (mean [sd] age, 25 [6] years), 7,462 female patients with isotretinoin treatment at any age ≤18 years (mean [sd] age, 24 [6] years), and 17,153 male (mean [sd] age, 26 [6] years), and 23,696 female patients (mean [sd] age, 26 [6] years) in the respective corresponding control cohorts. Mean (sd) adult body heights of the aforementioned male isotretinoin-treated cohort and its corresponding control cohort were 70.3 (2.92) inches and 70.1 (3.01) inches respectively (p<.001), and mean (sd) adult body heights of the aforementioned female isotretinoin-treated cohort and its corresponding control cohort were 65 (2.68) inches and 64.7 (2.8) inches respectively (p<.001). Additionally, across all treatment age groups studied, cohorts of patients treated with isotretinoin did not have statistically significantly lower mean body height, and some cohorts had statistically significantly higher mean body height, as compared to controls of the same sex using Welch’s t-test. These findings provide evidence against an association between pediatric isotretinoin treatment and decreased adult body height among acne patients and can inform treatment recommendations and shared decision making around isotretinoin use in the pediatric population. Hannah L. Cole¹, Lisa Y. Shen² 1. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States. 2. Department of Dermatology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States. Clinical Research: Epidemiology and Observational Research