Factors associated with topical retinoid prescriptions for acne.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Topical retinoids are recommended as the main therapy for most acne patients.

OBJECTIVE:

To examine the factors associated with topical retinoid prescriptions for acne.

METHODS:

Retrospective analyses used data from the 2005-2010 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and the 2004-2007 Marketscan Medicaid Database. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the impact of patient and physician factors on the probability of getting a topical retinoid prescription.

RESULTS:

Results from analyzing the NAMCS data showed that topical retinoids were prescribed in 40.9% of acne-related physician visits. Older age, male gender, and having Medicaid insurance were associated with a lower likelihood of getting a topical retinoid prescription. Moreover, we found in the Medicaid dataset that seeing a pediatrician or family doctor was associated with lower odds of getting a topical retinoid prescription than seeing a dermatologist (OR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.25).

LIMITATIONS:

The available databases do not provide an assessment of the severity of the lesions either at baseline or over time.

CONCLUSION:

The frequency of receiving a topical retinoid prescription among acne patients was low and it was associated with age, gender, insurance type and physician specialty.

• Authors: Xi Tan, Scott A Davis, Rajesh Balkrishnan, Daniel P Krowchuk, Steven R Feldman
• Journal: The Journal of dermatological treatment (J Dermatolog Treat) Vol. 25 Issue 2 Pg. 110-4 (Apr 2014) ISSN: 1471-1753 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 23802699 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Dermatologic Agents
• Retinoids

Topics

• Acne Vulgaris (drug therapy)
• Administration, Topical
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Child
• Child, Preschool
• Dermatologic Agents (administration & dosage)
• Female
• Health Care Surveys (statistics & numerical data)
• Humans
• Infant
• Male
• Medicaid (statistics & numerical data)
• Middle Aged
• Retinoids (administration & dosage)
• Retrospective Studies
• United States (epidemiology)
• Young Adult