Isotretinoin and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Recently, questions about a link between isotretinoin treatment of acne vulgaris and development or exacerbation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been debated in the medical literature (and in the lay press). Several lawsuits have been filed against pharmaceutical companies and individual prescribers. Gastroenterologists with whom I have discussed this issue have given mixed answers as to whether they think the association is real or a coincidental observation. IBD is believed to result from a genetic susceptibility awakened by an environmental trigger; peak onset occurs in the third decade of life, with steady increases through the second decade.

Investigators at the University of Manitoba performed a province-wide case-control stud…