Acne Antibiotics Increase Inflammatory Bowel Disease Risk
It is difficult to treat acne. To make matters worse for young people who are trying to clear their acne with antibiotic medications, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have found that in a small number of people antibiotics is associated with inflammatory bowel disease.
Usually drugs belonging to the tetracycline family or isotrentinoin are prescribed for treating acne. These antibiotic medications could reduce scarring and prevent pimple outbreaks. However, despite the effectiveness of these acne-healing medications, researchers have found, prolonged use of tetracycline drugs might increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease. These medications especially increase Crohn’s disease risk. Crohn’s disease is a disorder of the gut characterized by inflammation of the lining of the intestines. Inflammatory diseases cause abdominal pain and cramping, diarrhea and malnutrition.