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Hyperkalemia with spironolactone in older women, more top dermatology news from last week
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Women aged 46 to 65 years prescribed spironolactone for acne had a higher rate of incident hyperkalemia compared with younger women, which warrants further potassium monitoring guidance and protocols, according to Rebecca M. Thiede, MD, resident and fellow of the division of dermatology at University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson, and colleagues in the most popular Healio Dermatology article from last week.
In another popular story, phase 2 trial results lead researchers to support the use of weight-based Otezla dosing in pediatric patients with psoriasis.
Hyperkalemia risk higher in older women taking spironolactone for acne
Sixty-seven percent of the original 618 women prescribed spironolactone for acne had no serum potassium monitoring within 12 months of treatment initiation. Moreover, 40.1% had no serum potassium monitoring or monitoring that took place more than 12 months before or after spironolactone initiation. Read more.
Phase 2 trial supports weight-based Otezla dosing in pediatric patients with psoriasis
An improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index scores occurred as early as week 2 in a phase 2 trial of adolescent patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis treated with Otezla 20 mg or 30 mg twice daily, leading researchers to support the use of weight-based dosing in children and adolescents, according to analysis in Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Read more.
ASDS: Sun damage treatments up 63% in 2 years
“Dermatologists are at the front line for helping to manage the [skin cancer] epidemic with both prevention and treatments,” said Joely Kaufman, MD, chair of the ASDS work group and dermatologist at Skin Associates of South Florida in Miami. Melanoma rates in the U.S. doubled from 1982 to 2011 and continue to increase, Kaufman added. Read more.